Battle Creek residents are urged to be cautious due to a new email scam involving fraudulent invoices that appear to come from an official City of Battle Creek email account. The Battle Creek Police Department opened an investigation this week after two residents reported receiving suspicious emails.
The messages included invoices for rezoning application approvals and instructed recipients to reply for wire transfer instructions. The emails stated all correspondence must be conducted via email for auditing purposes and did not include a phone number. Police Chief Shannon Bagley urges neighbors to remain vigilant and watch for common signs of email scams:
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Check the sender’s email address. Official city emails use the domain @battlecreekmi.gov. Any other domain should be treated with caution.
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Beware of urgent requests. Scammers often pressure recipients to send money or click links quickly.
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Verify communication methods. City business is not limited to email. Residents can call the City of Battle Creek Information Center at 269-966-3311 to confirm the legitimacy of any message by speaking to the person it allegedly came from.
“This scam appears to target public information, like meeting agendas, and uses it to trick people into thinking they’re conducting official city business,” Bagley said. Anyone who receives a suspicious email like this is encouraged to report it to the Battle Creek Police Department at 269-781-0911 or contact Silent Observer at 269-964-3888.
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This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek police warn email scam impersonating city officials
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