PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) – Papillion city officials are warning residents to review their bills after discovering someone is impersonating the city and sending fraudulent invoices via email.
- Fraudsters are impersonating the city and sending email invoices over $10,000 requesting wire transfers or direct deposits.
- The scammers are accessing city council and planning board agendas to identify neighbors, developers and organizations to target with fraudulent bills.
- The Papillion Police Department is working to identify the scammer while city officials remind residents to always verify unexpected invoices directly with city departments.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Papillion city officials are warning residents to review their bills after discovering someone is impersonating the city and sending fraudulent invoices via email.
The scammer is using publicly available information from city council and planning board agendas to target residents, developers and organizations with fake bills, according to Trenton Albers, the city's communications director.
"In both instances the invoices were for a significant amount of money, over $10,000 and that's certainly something we want to take seriously and let people in our community know," Albers said.
The Papillion Police Department is investigating the scam but has not yet determined whether the person responsible is local.
The fraudulent invoices request payment through wire transfers or direct deposits, payment methods the city never uses, Albers said. One of the fake bills was backdated to 2024, which officials say could have been intended to create urgency and pressure recipients into paying immediately.
Residents should verify that contact information on any city bill matches what appears on the official city website. Anyone who receives suspicious invoices should contact the city or police department directly.
City officials recommend that residents follow up with the city if they receive any unexpected bills or have questions about charges.
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