A fraudulent email impersonating Arlington County Treasurer Carla de la Pava is targeting local businesses and nonprofits, according to the Treasurer’s Office.
The emails use de la Pava’s name but come from an unrelated Gmail address. They carry the subject line “Arlington County Virginia/Vendor Payment” and ask recipients to help pay a vendor invoice, according to a press release from the office.
The Treasurer’s Office said the emails are not legitimate and warned recipients not to respond, click links, open attachments or provide any financial information.
“I am writing to seek your assistance regarding an outstanding invoice from one of our vendors,” one of the fraudulent emails reads, in part. “I kindly request your support in facilitating this payment on an interim basis.”
The Treasurer would never ask anyone to pay a vendor invoice on the county’s behalf or to assist with a payment transaction, the office said.
Recipients who receive the emails should delete them and report them as spam. Anyone who has already responded or believes their information may have been compromised should contact their financial institution and report the incident to local authorities.
ACPD has previously warned of common scams targeting Arlington residents, including phone scams involving fake law enforcement calls and delivery fraud. The county also maintains a guide to commonly reported scams.
More, below, from a county press release.
The Arlington County Treasurer’s Office is alerting local businesses and taxpayers to a fraudulent email scam currently circulating in the community.
The Treasurer has become aware of emails being sent primarily to Arlington-based non-profits and businesses that falsely appear to come from Carla de la Pava but are actually from an unrelated email address. Each email has the subject line of “Arlington County Virginia/Vendor Payment.” These messages request that recipients provide payment to a vendor. These emails are not legitimate and are part of a scam designed to defraud recipients.
Businesses and taxpayers absolutely should NOT respond, click on any links, open any attachments, or provide payment or any personal or financial information in response to these emails.
The Treasurer would never ask anyone to pay a vendor invoice on Arlington County’s behalf or to assist with a payment transaction.
Recipients who receive such messages should delete and report them as spam immediately. If you have already responded or believe your information may have been compromised, please contact your financial institution and report the incident to local authorities.
An example of the fraudulent emails is provided below for reference.
For questions, or to verify communications from the Treasurer’s Office, please contact the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office at [email protected].
