Meredith Police warn of scam emails demanding payment to planning dept

MEREDITH — Police and town leaders are warning residents about fraudulent emails, asking for sensitive data, including bank account information.

“There are emails going out with addresses that look similar to our addresses, that are asking for your banking information and money to be transferred,” Town Manager Judie Milner said during the selectboard meeting on Sept. 14. “We will never ask you for your banking information via email. The emails look like they’re coming from the permitting department, and they’re going to people strategically that have permitted.”

An alert was posted to the town website about the fraudulent emails on Sept. 3, stating they are being sent to applicants of the zoning and planning boards.

The emails are targeting people with “falsified invoices,” with attempts to charge people as much as $3,000 for applications. The alert states the email includes language instructing the recipient to keep all correspondence within the email for record keeping. 

“This is a red flag,” the post states. “Please call the planning and development office if you have an active application through one of our boards and receive any email you deem suspicious.”

To read the full message, visit meredithnh.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/201.

Milner said the emails can be convincing. In the website post, emails used included “planning-dept-meredith.nh.gov@usa.com,” and "planning-dept.townofmeredith.gov@usa.com." They were also fraudulently signed by “Robert Carpenter- Financial Director,” “Stephanie Maltais - Planner 1” and “Tom Girard- Chair of the Zoning Board of Adjustments.”

Milner said such emails would not be coming from the town, and if anyone receives a questionable email, make sure the address ends in “@meredithnh.gov.”

“If it comes from anything else, please let us know,” Milner said. “The police department is keeping a list."

In actuality, the emails are from scammers, and while Police Chief Michael Harper said he doesn’t know of anyone falling victim yet, the perpetrators appear to be getting better at what they do.

Harper said there have been three reported incidents since mid-July, and each person has contacted Town Hall staff about the emails. He said the town doesn’t require a fee payment with permits anyway, so this was all about gathering information, or catching someone in a vulnerable moment.

Harper said it is difficult to tell who the perpetrators are, but detectives are gathering information, and finding the source, or sources, are likely from outside the United States.

“It appears to be that they are coming from Europe,” Harper said Wednesday. “The goal is to get enough information to hold these people accountable.”

Harper admitted, though, it may not be likely. In any case, he said the good thing is people are being vigilant and reporting the emails, and not paying the requested invoices.

Harper said it doesn’t appear these are specifically targeted. One reported incident came from someone who did not have a permit or a project in front of any of those boards. How the scammers are picking targets is unclear.

“It seems to be fairly random,” Harper said.

Harper said scam emails and calls are clearly an issue, as he receives them himself on his personal cellphone, asking about loans he has never applied for. However, he doesn’t recall emails like this.

“People are getting creative, I’d say.”

Harper said if there is any doubt about an email requesting information, even if it looks official, contact Town Hall and speak to a staff member. If it is not from the town, the email should be reported to the police department. The town is asking recipients to not respond the email, but rather save and print a copy, and contact Meredith Police to file a report.

Town Hall staff can be reached at 603-279-4538, and Meredith Police Department is at 603-279-4561.

Traffic safety

The selectboard unanimously accepted $10,300 in grant funds for traffic enforcement initiatives, something town police chiefs have been applying for, and receiving, for about two decades.

“It’s a really good grant, and we’ve been getting these the last 15 to 20 years,” Harper said in an interview Wednesday.

The selectboard held a public hearing about accepting unanticipated revenue for traffic enforcement initiatives from the New Hampshire Department of Safety. Harper said these grants are something he applies for annually, funded through the NH Office of Highway Safety. They include speed and DUI enforcement, pedestrian contacts, distracted driving, and texting and driving.

The funds require a 25% match from the town, totaling $2,575 coming from the budget. Harper said these funds augment what is going on with patrol right now. He called the grant a “really good idea.”

Selectboard member Jim Gregoire asked how many hours of a patrol officer’s time this would recover, and Harper said it is hard to gauge. Harper said the grant money is received each year — generally the same amount — but it is based more on rate of pay. The grant covers overtime, which is enticing to officers.

Gregoire said it looks like 30% is allocated to pedestrian bicycle enforcement, and he asked if the department is bound to this. Harper said it makes sense for the department due to the downtown area, and the pedestrian crossing in front of the town docks.

“A lot of times, I’ll sit there just to educate people on what they should and shouldn’t be doing with that light,” Harper said. “I wouldn’t want that to go away. That’s a good one. You can park, walk, and talk downtown, and if you can make three or four contacts during that particular call for service, that is a good portion, and that is really helpful to me.”

Harper said using the funds is geared toward summer months, when there is an influx of residents and tourists, creating a busy downtown and bay area.

The selectboard voted 5-0 to approve accepting the money.