City of Abbotsford warns public about latest impersonation scam

ABBOTSFORD – The City of Abbotsford is warning residents not to fall for the latest scam circulating in the community after a property owner with an active development application was told to wire money to a fraudster via a fake invoice.

In a statement, the city says residents and businesses need to stay alert and ask questions after it became aware of an impersonation scam in which a third party attempted to direct payment of a phoney invoice to an account not associated with the municipality.

Aletta Vanderhayden, communications and public relations manager for the city of Abbotsford, said a property owner with an active development application was contacted by someone falsely claiming to represent the city. The scammer asked the property owner to pay an invoice by wire transfer to an account that was not connected to the municipality. Fortunately, the property owner contacted city staff before making any payment.

To help others avoid similar situations, the city is circulating this reminder as a precaution and has reported the incident to the Abbotsford Police Department.