PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Scammers are targeting businesses in Punta Gorda by posing as city planning officials and demanding wire transfers for fraudulent invoices. according to the police department.
The City of Punta Gorda is now warning people about scammers who are falsely claiming to represent the Planning and Zoning Department. These fraudsters are using information gathered from legitimate board and committee meeting agendas to target companies that have applied for various actions from the department.
The scammers typically send emails requesting immediate wire transfers for payment of fraudulent invoices.
City officials emphasize that the Punta Gorda Planning and Zoning Department never requests wire transfers for any payments.
Anyone who receives suspicious correspondence claiming to be from the City of Punta Gorda should contact the relevant city department directly using the phone number listed on the city's official website.
Experts recommend several ways to identify phishing emails:
- Carefully examine email addresses for strange or slightly altered domains
- Hover over links to verify their true destination before clicking
- Be wary of messages creating a false sense of urgency
- Avoid opening suspicious links or attachments
- Look for poor grammar or misspellings
- Be suspicious of requests for payment via wire transfer, bitcoin, gold, or other untraceable means
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