Lancaster County officials warn residents about email scam
Scammers are sending emails that pretend to be from the county planning department and ask you to pay invoices. The real department does not email invoices.
How it works
You receive an email that looks like it is from the Lancaster County planning department. The email includes an invoice or payment request and asks you to click a link or send money. The sender address is fake, designed to look official.
Red flags to watch for
- Email claims to be from planning department but sender address looks off
- Unsolicited invoice or payment request arrives by email
- Email contains a suspicious link you are asked to click
- The county does not send invoices via email
What to do
Do not click any links in the email and do not reply with personal information. If you think the email might be real, hang up and call the Lancaster County planning department directly using the phone number on the official county website. Report the email to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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Source: WSOC ABC Charlotte. Scam Sentinel summarizes this news report in plain language; it is a decision aid, not a guarantee.