City of Newport Warns Of Scam

The City of Newport is warning the community about a phishing scam that has recently targeted individuals, businesses, and contractors who may be awaiting approval for a project from the City’s Community Development Department. The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services Building Codes Division (BCD) issued a statewide alert about this scam on October 31.

In this scam, someone claiming to be from the local building or planning department emails a person to get them to wire money. The scammers are using information about the person and the project to claim their application has been approved. The next steps in the scam are for the person to reply to the email to request payment advice and wire transfer instructions, pay the invoice using the wire transfer instructions, and then email a copy of the wire transfer receipt to the designated address.

To appear legitimate, the scammers may claim that correspondence must be conducted by email “to ensure transparency and accurate record-keeping for auditing purposes.”

“We have recently seen these targeted phishing attacks in Newport, with the emails supposedly coming from our Planning Commission or myself,” said Community Development Director Derrick Tokos. “We want our community to be aware that any emails we send will come directly from official City of Newport emails, we do not accept wire transfers for payment, and you will always be able to pay any fees to the City of Newport in person at City Hall. If you receive a correspondence asking for money or payment, it is always advised to contact the City of Newport directly to confirm the authenticity of the request before attempting to make a payment.”

The City urges all residents, business owners, and contractors to vigilant. Do not respond to suspicious emails, share personal or financial information, or send payments unless you have verified the request through the City of Newport. For questions or to report a suspicious message, please contact the City of Newport Community Development Department at 541-574-0629.

The BCD recommends these tips to help avoid a phishing scam:

• Do not send or transfer money unknown people or intermediaries, and be cautious about sharing personal or financial information.

• Do not give out personal information by phone, email, or online. Government agencies and financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions, will not ask for this information.

• Always be careful opening emails, clicking on links, or downloading files, regardless of the sender.

• Check the email address of the sender.

• Always be suspicious of claims about lottery or sweepstakes winnings that require personal information to receive the reward.

• Always ignore pop-ups requesting account information or offering to increase computer speed or to clean the computer.