Scammers posing as Town of Dedham staff are sending fraudulent emails demanding payment for permits, taxes and invoices.

The Dedham Police Department said on X on Monday, Oct. 5, that the scheme targets residents, permit applicants, contractors and local businesses. The department pointed residents to a town advisory first posted July 27 that describes the scam in detail.

In several cases, the emails have referenced applications before local boards and committees, including the Planning Board, to appear legitimate, according to the advisory. The most recent batch came from the address "[email protected]," which the town stressed is not a real town email address.

The emails ask recipients to send payment for permit fees, outstanding invoices or taxes. The town said in its July 27 advisory that it will never request sensitive personal information, passwords or financial payments, especially wire transfers, through an unsolicited email.

In the same advisory, the town cautioned that some domain changes are minor and easy to miss, and urged residents to call rather than click when in doubt.

The town listed several red flags. Watch for email domains with small character changes, such as replacing an "O" with a zero or swapping "U" for "A." Other warning signs include unfamiliar domains that imitate common providers and grammar mistakes or inconsistent formatting.

Legitimate town emails come only from these domains: @dedhamma.gov, @opengov.com, @invoicecloud.net, @dedham.k12.ma.us and @public.govdelivery.com.

Needham reports same scam

The scam is not limited to Dedham. The Town of Needham issued its own fraud alert on Monday, Sept. 14, warning that applicants had received fraudulent emails requesting payment for application fees from the Planning and Community Development Department. Those emails used subject lines such as "Settlement Required – Application Approval Fee Invoice for Special Permit" followed by a property address.

Needham said in the September alert that it was first made aware of the scam over the summer and that additional fraudulent emails had been sent since then. The town's Planning Division said all official payments are processed through proper town channels, usually in person.

Both towns advise anyone who receives a suspicious email not to reply, open attachments or click links. Mark the message as spam or phishing and delete it.

Residents who believe they responded to a fraudulent email or shared personal information should contact the Dedham Police Department at 781-326-1212. Needham residents can call the Planning and Community Development Department at 781-455-7550, ext. 72513.