Othello city officials warn residents to beware of invoice scam

OTHELLO — Othello city officials are warning residents to pay careful attention if they receive what looks like an invoice from the city after a resident reported an attempted scam using information from city records. 

Community Development Director Anne Henning said the scammer was thorough.

"They used our seal, our watermark; they had detailed information," she said. 

The scam email claimed to be from the city's building and planning department, looking for payment for a building permit. Henning said the city does send out invoices for some services, including building and planning services like building permits, as well as plan reviews, application fees and related services. 

Othello Police Chief Brent McFarlane said that while the scammer was thorough, they made one mistake that raised the suspicions of the recipient.

"Everything else looked legitimate," he said. 

Henning said when the recipient looked closer, they found a fake email address. 

So far, only one potential victim has turned up in Othello, but Kyle Foreman, public information officer with the Grant County Sheriff's Office, said it's a classic scam.

"It's a more modern twist on a similar scam that was done a few years ago," Foreman said. "And that one was by email."

McFarlane said scammers are using modern technology to make their frauds harder to detect.

"Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, and I credit AI for that," he said. 

The fraudulent emails look authentic, McFarlane said, and fraudsters are counting on human nature to make their job easier.

"I think scammers rely on people acting quickly and not thinking about it," McFarlane said.

And it is a job, Foreman said.

"Scammers are professionals. They steal money for a living," he said.

In the Othello case, the scammers used publicly available information when looking for targets.

"If there's a way a scammer will exploit (a situation), then they will do that," Foreman said. 

People should pay careful attention to any email that asks them for money, Foreman said, even if it looks like it came from a legitimate source.

"Scrutinize everything about that email," Foreman said. "Be careful of any invoice you receive or any money to be sent."

McFarlane said recipients should avoid clicking on any links in a suspect email as well. They should double-check with what seems to be the originating agency – and not use any contact information from the email.

"I would suggest contacting the agency directly," he said. 

Henning said people who have received what look like communications from the city of Othello, but are suspicious, can and should call city officials first. 

"They can always call and verify," she said.

McFarlane urged Othello residents who may have received a suspicious email to contact the OPD.

"Even if no money was lost, report it," he said.