DEVILS LAKE – On Aug. 20, the City of Devils Lake government posted on their Facebook page that it had become aware of a scam attempt by someone posing as a representative of the City’s Planning Department, sending out fraudulent invoices requesting payment for related items from that department.
Interim Auditor/Assessor Rob Johnson confirmed that Aug. 20 was when they first became aware of the scam. “We’ve only received notice of it from two individuals, but those are the only two that have reached out to us about it,” he said. “There may be more out there.”
Johnson noted that the people who were targeted had been involved in a meeting with the Planning Commission. “We’re thinking that they pulled the minutes, got the information of the people … did some internet researching to find addresses and other information and then sent them these invoices,” he said, adding that one of the fake invoices was for the amount of $6,953, to be paid through wire transfer. “It’s a big chunk of change for a lot of people.”
Johnson said that the invoices were sent via email and had the City of Devils Lake logo and address; the targeted individual was to reply to the email to arrange payment through wire transfer. “It could be construed as legitimate,” he said. “We’re thankful that the people who did get it did reach out to verify it so we could let them know.”
He added that there’s been an uptick in various scams being perpetrated, including internal emails to staff members from scammers posing as elected officials. He noted that, fortunately, they have had good training, so most are identified, reported and then deleted. “They’re trying to get you to respond to them, start a discussion,” Johnson said, adding that is when they may try to initiate “a quick call” to try and rush people into making a payment transfer.
Johnson reiterated that when anyone receives something via regular mail or email they don’t believe is legitimate, it’s always best to verify their validity directly with the source.
Det. Sgt. Sue Schwab of the Devils Lake Police Department also emphasized the need for vigilance. “If there’s any question, make sure you call local law enforcement, and then we can check it out,” she said.