Unknown scammers are using publicly available information to target Utahns, trying to swindle them out of thousands. That includes posing as the Park City and Summit County planning departments.
Summit County planner Tiffanie Robinson said Tony Tyler, known for developing properties on Park City’s Main Street and in the Snyderville Basin, recently received a fraudulent bill.
“Tony received one Monday night,” Robinson said at Tuesday’s Snyderville Basin Planning Commission meeting. “It says it's a bill from the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, to the applicants, for different fees, naming their project and everything.”
Park City Municipal and the Utah State Courts system are hearing the same from residents. Scammers are posing as official government agencies and demanding wire transfers or gift cards.
State courts officials say the scams can involve official-looking, fake, AI-generated documents. They say urgency, threats, strange phone numbers and unfamiliar documents or details can all be signs something is fishy. Click here for examples.
“We’re seeing a rise in both the frequency and sophistication of these fraudulent emails targeting our residents,” Park City Police Department Lt. Danielle Snelson said. “We will investigate every reported instance where public records are misused to take advantage of people. However, prevention remains our strongest tool.”
Park City reminds residents that legitimate communications will only come from verified .gov email addresses.
The city encouraged anyone to call and verify with the official source if they think they’re being scammed. Park City will never tell residents to “only respond to this email” in its communications.
Scams can be reported to local law enforcement, scams.utah.gov or the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center.
