San Marcos officials warn of phishing scam
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The City of San Marcos is warning citizens about a phishing scam where people posing as city officials are asking for money.
San Marcos Phishing Scam
What we know:
In a Friday news release, the City of San Marcos says that community members have been targeted by scammers.
They believe the scammers are using contact information from public meeting documents to request payments from businesses and individuals.
Applicants that have submitted requests to the Planning and Development Services Department have reported receiving an email made to appear as if it came from an employee with the City of San Marcos. The emails are not sent from a sanmarcostx.gov address.
The email requests money for fees via wire transfer.
The City of San Marcos says they have seen similar reports from other cities.
What we don't know:
The city has not identified the people responsible for the phishing scheme.
What they're saying:
"Protecting our community members’ information is important to us, and we’ve taken immediate steps to minimize the availability of personal contact information in our meeting materials," said Planning and Development Services Director Amanda Hernandez. "We have begun redacting applicants’ email and phone information from our Planning and Zoning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustments, and Human Services Advisory Board meeting packets to the extent allowable by law."
What you can do:
Anyone who receives an invoice or request for payment in an email are asked to call the San Marcos Planning and Development Services Department by phone at 512-393-8230 to confirm fees and payment processes.
If you believe you sent money through a fraudulent wire request, you are asked to go to reportfraud.ftc.gov.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the City of San Marcos.