Keene officials warn of payment fraud involving municipal impersonation

The City of Keene, New Hampshire, has issued a warning regarding fraudulent payment requests where perpetrators impersonate municipal employees. These deceptive communications, which mimic routine official correspondence, aim to solicit direct money transfers or pressure recipients into making sudden changes to existing payment arrangements.

To prevent losses, officials advise residents and businesses to verify the full email addresses of senders rather than relying on display names. They also recommend cross-checking any unexpected invoices by contacting the relevant department through independently verified phone numbers instead of using contact information provided within the suspicious messages.

This incident follows similar patterns reported in New Jersey, where the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office noted fraud attempts via telephone, email, text messages, social media, and mail involving the impersonation of government identities.