A Massachusetts developer received an email demanding $9,000 in fees he had already paid for an Auburn commercial project. He was immediately on guard.
Robert Branca received the fraudulent message concerning his Auburn project, according to reporting by the Worcester Business Journal. The email purported to come from an Auburn town planner and used the subject line “481 Washington Street – Site Plan Approval,” demanding payment for permit fees Branca said he had already settled. The sender address was [email protected] — close enough to pass a glance, but not a government domain. Branca was immediately on guard and had already paid the required fees.
Branca and his firm, Branded Realty Group, plan to build a Dunkin’ on the Washington Street property, a site that was formerly a gas station requiring environmental cleanup. The project calls for a 6,400-square-foot retail building that includes a 2,400-square-foot Dunkin’ location and 4,000 square feet of additional retail space, and Branca and Branded Realty Group must certify the cleanup with the town and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, conducting property tests to confirm compliance before moving forward.
How Close the Scam Came to Working
Branca said the scam email demanded $9,000…