The City of Rome is once again alerting residents, business owners, and developers to a fraudulent email and mail scam that falsely appears to be coming from City of Rome staff.
The scam is targeting planning and/or zoning board applicants by requesting payment for their related applications. The messages and invoices differ but often attempt to justify the requested payments by listing supposed review, zoning, inspection, and administrative fees.
These emails and letters are not from the City of Rome, the Planning Board or Zoning Board and the invoices are fraudulent. The City of Rome never requests wire or ACH transfers for application fees, nor does it issue invoices or correspondence via unofficial mail and email.
City of Rome Mayor Jeffrey M. Lanigan issued the following statement:
“The City of Rome takes the protection of our residents and businesses very seriously. We want the public to know that these letters, emails, and invoices are not legitimate and do not originate from any City department. We urge everyone to remain vigilant, avoid responding to suspicious emails or letters, and never send funds based on unsolicited requests.”
The City advises the public to take the following precautions:
- Do NOT reply to suspicious emails.
• Do NOT provide personal information, banking details, or payment of any kind.
• Do NOT open any links in an email.
If you receive a fraudulent letter or email or have questions about the legitimacy of City correspondence, please contact the City of Rome Code Enforcement office at 315-339-7642 or the Community and Economic Development Department at 315-339-7644. Residents who believe they may have responded to the scam or shared financial information should immediately contact their bank and report the incident to the Rome Police Department at 315-339-7781.