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Invoice Scam

Planning Commission Invoice Scam

The Village of Hales Corners is aware of a fraudulent email scam targeting individuals and businesses falsely claiming to be from the Planning Commission. These emails have been sent from [email protected] or similar public email service, which is NOT a legitimate Village email address. 

DETAILS OF THE SCAM

The scam email includes an attached fake invoice requesting a wire transfer payment, which we do not accept as a valid form of payment.  The invoice falsely uses the Village of Hales Corners address but includes typographical errors.  These fraudulent emails are designed to appear official but are not formally associated with the Village of Hales Corners in any way.  The scam email includes recent skimmed information for items that are going to the Village Board and appears on a quick glance to be legitimate.  The emails are intended to cause a panic response to get a quick response.

The Village of Hales Corners will never ask for payment via wire transfer, credit card or ACH. Any applicant who receives an email requesting a wire transfer, credit card or ACH funds for application fees should immediately disregard the email.

Village staff and officials are taking this matter very seriously. To ensure the legitimacy of any application fees, applicants are advised to:

  1. Carefully review the sender’s email address. All official Village of Hales Corners emails will end with @halescorners.org. Be cautious of any communication claiming to be from the Village that does not follow this format.
  2. Never respond to emails requesting payment via wire transfer, credit card or ACH.
  3. Verify any invoices or communications by directly contacting the Village of Hales Corners at 414-529-6161.
  4. Obtain a copy of the official fee schedule by contacting the Village of Hales Corners or our website https://halescornerswi.gov.

If you have sent money or you feel you have been a victim of a scam, contact the Village of Hales Corners Police Department at 414-529-6140. If you receive a suspicious email about the approval of a planning, zoning or building-related application or have doubts about an email’s authenticity, please contact the Village Hall at 414-529-6161.

Thank you for helping keep our community safe from predatory scams.