The city of Banks is warning residents that several applicants with active planning applications have received fraudulent emails appearing to come from one of the city's contracted planners at MIG, Inc.
The emails include an attached "invoice" and instructions to reply for payment or wire transfer details, the city said in an alert emailed and published to the city's social media accounts on Friday.
"This is a phishing scam," the city said.
The city said it does contract with outside agencies for planning and engineering services, but those agencies will never invoice applicants directly. All legitimate invoices come only from the City of Banks, and the city does not accept wire transfers for any payments.
The city advised anyone who receives an email of this nature to not respond, not open attachments and not provide any personal or financial information. Residents unsure whether a communication is legitimate should contact the City of Banks directly using official contact information on the city's website.
