Paso Robles city officials warn there is a concerning rise in phishing attempts with the latest claiming to come from the city itself.
The emails that have caused concern state “an important message from the City of Paso Robles” in the subject line. They also include the official city seal. But according to city officials, these emails originate from email addresses not affiliated with the City of Paso Robles.
As a real estate broker, Paso Robles resident Lorelei Komm is familiar with suspicious emails. She says clients who just bought a house will often receive fake emails asking the home buyer to wire money to a different location.
“It does make me nervous," Komm said. "These email scams are becoming more sophisticated, so I don't click on a link unless I know for sure, for sure who the sender is, and I'll even check the email address to make sure that it is truly their email address.”
Komm warns that once you send that money, it’s gone.
“Now in real estate, we have all these extra advisories for our clients," Komm said. "Don't send anything via wire until you talk to the escrow office. You make sure you have the right wire instructions.”
The biggest concern for residents I spoke with is that phishing scams are becoming more sophisticated.
“They've gotten so good that you don't even realize you're not even talking to a person yet," said local Frank Ruberto. "When you answer whatever question, then the call goes to a live person and then they try to get you for whatever."
Ruberto says his mother was a victim of a scam caller who claimed to be a relative saying they were in jail and needed bail money. When Ruberto's mother asked if the person on the line knew her name and the caller couldn't come up with it, she hung up the phone.
Paso Roble's Information Technology Department is urging community members to verify a sender’s email address before opening any attachment.
Tod Rehner of the Paso Robles Police Department says the department hears a lot about supposed threats from the IRS around this time of the year but says the IRS will never contact you by phone, text or email.
