The City of Appleton is warning residents about fraudulent emails that falsely claim to be from local government offices and request payment for supposed city permit fees.
City officials say the scam emails attempt to deceive residents into making payments under the guise of official city business.
Appleton offered several tips to help residents avoid being scammed:
- Check the sender’s address — Official city emails come from recognized domains such as @appletonwi.gov. Copy and paste the email address into a search engine, which may show if it has been linked to scams.
- Watch for red flags — Avoid emails with urgent requests, grammar errors, poor-quality graphics or unfamiliar links.
- Verify information — If an email seems suspicious, contact the city directly using contact information on its official website.
- Protect personal information — Do not provide personal or financial details in response to unsolicited emails.
Neighbors can learn more about spotting and avoiding scams by visiting the Federal Trade Commission’s website at consumer.ftc.gov.
City officials say they remain committed to protecting residents from fraud and encourage people to stay vigilant.
Editor's note: This web story was written by a human author with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. All content has been reviewed and edited by the author for accuracy and clarity.
