From staff reports
The City of Beaufort sent out an email Monday, Oct. 20, to alert the public and members of the development community about a fraudulent email scam that is falsely claiming to be from the City’s Planning Department.
Several developers have reported receiving emails from communitydevelopment.cityofbeaufort@usa.com that appear to come from Director of Community and Economic Development Curt Freese. These emails are not legitimate and are part of a phishing scam intended to defraud recipients by requesting payment of a fake application approval fee.
The email includes misleading language, such as: “The Planning Department has completed its review and prepared its recommendation for approval, pending the settlement of the application approval fee as outlined in the attached invoice …”
Recipients are then instructed to reply to the email, settle the attached invoice, and return payment confirmation.
Important reminders
- All official City of Beaufort email addresses end in @cityofbeaufort.org;
- The City will never request payment through unofficial email addresses or third-party services; and …
- If you receive a suspicious email, do not respond, click on links, or download attachments.
If you have received a suspicious email, forward it immediately to info@cityofbeaufort.org and call the City of Beaufort Police Department non-emergency line at 843-524-2777.
The City is actively investigating the matter and working with appropriate authorities to identify the source of these fraudulent messages.
