Entities posing as Wilton town officials have targeted land use permit applicants with fraudulent emails and invoices requesting wire transfers, according to Town Administrator Nick Germain.
Germain said the town’s computer network has not been compromised, and no recipients have fallen victim to the scam.
“Our cyber security team said someone has been using AI to scrape online permit records for contact information,” he said.
The messages appear legitimate, using the town’s correct address and official-looking formatting. However, some originate from “.usa” email domains, while legitimate town communications use “.gov,” Germain said.
Town administrators from across the region plan to discuss the issue at an informal meeting Thursday evening, March 26, to determine whether other municipalities have been affected.