The fraudulent messages may include property and application details while falsely claiming that an approval fee is owed to the borough.
MENDHAM BOROUGH, NJ – Mendham Borough warned residents on Sept. 17 about fraudulent application approval fee emails that can include property, block-and-lot or land-use application details.
The borough’s notice says these invoices do not come from its Joint Land Use Board or Planning and Zoning Office.
The borough identified the sender address planning.dept-boroughofmendham.nj@usa.com as fraudulent. It is not an official municipal email address.
Recipients should not pay, reply, open attachments or follow links, the borough said. They should retain the message and report it to the borough.
Residents who have already provided financial information or sent money should contact their financial institution immediately, the borough said.
The Federal Trade Commission’s phishing guidance explains that fake invoices are one way scammers persuade recipients to open attachments, disclose account information or follow a payment link. Familiar names and logos do not establish that a message is authentic.
The agency recommends contacting the organization through a phone number or website known to be genuine, rather than using the contact details supplied in the suspicious message. That provides a separate way to confirm whether a bill exists.
If someone may have obtained a Social Security number, bank details or other sensitive information, the FTC directs consumers to IdentityTheft.gov for recovery steps tailored to the information exposed. If an attachment or link may have installed malicious software, the agency recommends updating security software and running a scan.
For continuing protection, the FTC recommends keeping security software and phone software updated, backing up data and using multifactor authentication. An additional sign-in requirement can make an account harder to access even if a scammer obtains its password.
Residents can also report attempted fraud through the FTC’s ReportFraud portal.