Residents Urged to Remain Vigilant Against Fraudulent Emails
Walworth County officials are alerting residents to a sophisticated wire-transfer zoning scam that has recently resurfaced. The County has received reports of fraudulent emails impersonating Walworth County zoning staff and elected officials. These emails may use the official county logo, appear to be sent from Walworth County Board Supervisors or zoning and planning staff members, and direct recipients to pay invoices via wire transfer to finalize zoning permits.
“These emails were not sent by the Walworth County Land Use and Resource Management office, and we would never send emails requesting wire transfers in exchange for zoning permits,” says Land Use and Resource Management Deputy Director Mandy Bonneville. “Please do not respond to these notices, and exercise caution with any unsolicited email you receive.”
Warning signs that an email may be fraudulent include:
- Suspicious contact information not affiliated with Walworth County. All legitimate emails from Walworth County’s Land Use division end with co.walworth.wi.us.
- Unsolicited emails pressuring residents to pay zoning fees promptly via wire transfer. Walworth County’s Land Use division does not accept payments by wire transfer.
- County Board Supervisors will not contact residents on behalf of the County to finalize permits or collect fees.
- Higher-than-usual permitting fees. Fee schedules are available on the Walworth County website at https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/547/Zoning.
- Requests that all correspondence regarding permits or applications be made exclusively via email. Zoning staff can always be reached by phone at (262) 741-4972.
Anyone who receives a suspicious email or invoice from the Walworth County Zoning Division should avoid making payments and contact the Walworth County Land Use and Resource Management office at (262) 741-4972 for assistance.
