Wilton officials are warning residents and businesses about a sophisticated scam targeting people who have recently submitted land use applications through the town’s new OpenGov permitting portal. The Wilton Police Department and Planning and Zoning Department issued an alert Wednesday, Nov. 19, after fraudulent invoices — some bearing official-looking town letterhead — were sent to applicants demanding large wire-transfer payments.
According to a press release from First Selectman Toni Boucher’s office, the scammers have contacted individuals who filed special permit or zone change applications through the OpenGov.com portal. The messages include accurate information about applicants, their properties, and even the names and titles of town employees, giving the communications a convincing appearance.
Officials emphasize that the scam has not involved any breach or hack of the town’s permitting system.
Town Planner Michael Wrinn said the perpetrators are pulling details from publicly available application materials and using them to impersonate the town.
“This isn’t an OpenGov issue,” he said. “They haven’t hacked anything. They’re taking public information from the applications and using it to send emails that look official.”
Wrinn noted that the scam has appeared in multiple towns across Connecticut — large and small, and using different permitting platforms, not just OpenGov — indicating that the operation is broad and deliberate rather than system-specific.
Wilton is aware of at least three recent cases, two involving attorneys and one individual, where the intended victims recognized the fraudulent invoices and alerted the town. Because the scammers contact applicants directly, officials say they have no way of knowing if others may have received similar messages unless someone reports it.
Victims are falsely told they must pay large fees by wire transfer before their application can proceed. The town stressed that Planning and Zoning never accepts wire transfers for application fees, and that legitimate payments are only made in person at the P&Z office or through Wilton’s official online portal by credit card.
Wrinn said the town will begin placing warnings on applications and advising new applicants directly. “If you get someone asking you to wire money, it’s not us,” he said. “And our fees aren’t in the thousands of dollars.”
Anyone who receives a suspicious invoice or payment request related to a land-use application is urged to contact the Wilton Police Department immediately.
Additionally, residents are urged to be on alert about any other similar requests that come through other boards, commissions or departments purporting to be from the Town of Wilton. If in doubt, contact Town Hall departments directly.