By rdnewsNOW staff

City warns public about Inspections and Licensing email scam

Mar 15, 2018 | 4:06 PM

The City of Red Deer’s Inspections and Licensing department is warning customers of an email scam.

The City says it has received reports of suspicious emails that appear to be coming from The City noting an outstanding balance owing with Inspections & Licensing Department and asking for payment.

“At first glance, the emails appear to come from a reddeer.ca email address, but are actually sent from a different account,” City officials say in a release. “Reports have indicated that the emails refer to a customer account, although the account numbers are not valid City accounts, and provide a link for additional information and payment options.”

Customers are asked to use caution if they receive an email requesting payment and not to respond or click any links before they can ensure the authenticity of the email.

The City notes that it does use email to alert customers of overdue permit applications and fees, but includes a permit number and access code for each account.

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Customers can take the following precautions to determine whether a suspicious email was sent from The City:

– Verify the sender’s email address (not the sender name) to ensure the email has come from a reddeer.ca email address.

– Verify that the account referenced in the email matches your City of Red Deer account number.

If you are still unsure, please can contact our Inspections and Licensing department directly at inspections@reddeer.ca or 403-342-8190 to confirm.

(The City of Red Deer)