The message, something a viewer might dismiss without even reading it, is more important than you’d think. It reads:
“We have been made aware of an email scam that is going out to citizens in several counties in Florida. Scammers have obtained email addresses of citizens from public records that are part of supporting documentation included in Board of County Commissioner agendas and/or planning board agendas. The scammers then send out invoices to those citizens asking for some sort of payment that is legitimately owed. The emails look very real, containing county official names and logos but they come from an email address that is slightly different than the real county email address. Always check to see what email invoices are coming from. Before making any payments that may be owed, contact the appropriate department by calling their official phone number to verify if the invoice is legitimate. Find a directory of county departments at https://www.santarosa.fl.gov/directory.aspx.”
Scammers are using public records to find email addresses to send fake, unauthorized invoices to citizens. While some sort of payment may be legitimately owed to the county, these people are not the ones to pay. As the county has cautioned, call the appropriate department’s official phone number to verify the authenticity of the invoice before making any sort of payment.
