Several Raymond residents have received scam invoices claiming to be from the Raymond Planning Board and zoning board of appeals.

In a message posted to the town’s Facebook page on March 12, officials warned that the invoices, which mimic official communications, are not legitimate, and are not authorized by the town of Raymond.

The post clarifies that official invoices will always reference the applicant’s specific application number, be payable by check to the town of Raymond, rather than through a wire transfer, and will come directly from Planning and Zoning Board Administrator Sandy Fredricks.

Code Enforcement Officer Jason Williams said the town had been contacted by four residents, who had made applications to the planning board and were wondering why they were being charged again. While most of the residents did not immediately realize the email was a scam, Williams said they were suspicious when they were asked for a wire transfer, and none of them sent money to the email address.

Williams said residents had been targeted within “a couple weeks” of having applied, and suspected that scammers are getting more sophisticated in targeting people who are early in the process of applying and making payments. The town publicly advertises the application process, and suspects the scammers use the information to generate fake emails and invoices.

The incident in Raymond is part of a pattern of scammers targeting unsuspecting internet users in southern Maine. In recent months, residents of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport have received emails claiming to be from the town government demanding wire transfers of up to $4,000. Meanwhile, a Standish widow was scammed out of $14,000 by someone who promised to help her block nonexistent hackers in July last year.

When asked how residents can recognize a scam email, Williams said that, in addition to asking for wire transfers, one red flag would be if an email looks like it came from the town, but the address is incorrect. For example, an address may claim to be from the town of Raymond, but have an unusual suffix such as “@usa.”

Raymond residents who receive a suspicious email should call the Raymond Town Office at 207-655-4742, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 207-774-1444, or the Maine Attorney General’s Office consumer protection division at 207-626-8849.