BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — The Battle Creek Police Department (BCPD) is warning residents of a new email scam involving fraudulent invoices that appear to come from an official city email account.
The investigation comes after two people reported suspicious emails that included invoices for rezoning application approvals, instructing them to reply for wire transactions, police said.
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Additionally, these emails told the recipients that all correspondence must be conducted via email “for auditing purposes” and did not include a phone number, according to BCPD.
Police Chief Shannon Bagley provided the following tips to help residents spot email scams:
- Check the sender’s email address. Official city emails use the domain @battlecreekmi.gov. Any other domain should be treated with caution.
- Beware of urgent requests. Scammers often pressure recipients to send money or click links quickly.
- Verify communication methods. City business is not limited to email. Neighbors 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’s purported to come 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…