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MEDINA, N.Y. – A sophisticated email scam is targeting people across the country by posing as local planning boards and demanding money from those who have submitted legitimate plans for review.
Chris Busch, a member of the Orleans Renaissance Group, recently submitted a site plan to the Orleans County Planning Board for approval to expand the Canal Village Farmers’ Market in Medina. That’s when he received an eyebrow-raising email.
The official looking email claimed to be from the Orleans County Planning Commission and said the farmers’ market plan was recommended for approval but first required a wire-transferred payment of $4,800 as part of the review process.
“There were things like site visitation, research. It was all itemized – very convincingly,” Busch said. “But all of those services are provided for free by the county.”
What the scammers didn’t know is that for more than 30 years, Busch served on the village planning board.
“I knew that was bogus,” Busch said. “Someone who is, perhaps, another business owner who is not familiar with the process might have seen that and maybe thought, oh gosh, I gotta wire the money or I’m not gonna get my review. And therein is the success of the scam.”
The scammers were able to access Busch’s planning board application, which was easily accessible on the county’s website, complete with specific details about the plans and his contact information.
Orleans County isn’t the only place the scammers have targeted. Yates County issued a scam alert and a quick online search found government warnings from Maine to Wisconsin to Florida.
“They seem to be getting more and more brazen and I think this is a really brazen attempt and fairly sophisticated. It’s concerning,” Busch said.
The Orleans County Planning Director says they are required to post the applications under the state’s open meeting laws and are now looking for ways to minimize the exposure of the applicants. In the meantime, the director says county planning board reviews are free and you can always contact the office directly if you are unsure about an email trying to get you to wire money.
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