The City of Grand Junction and the Grand Junction Police Department announced on March 12 that residents are being targeted by scam emails aimed at Development Review applicants.
These fraudulent messages pose a risk to individuals involved in the permitting process, as they may request payments via wire transfer or cryptocurrency, ask for personal information, or direct recipients to click on suspicious links. The city said legitimate communications will always come from an email address ending in @gjcity.org, while the scam emails typically use addresses ending in “@usa.com.”
The fraudulent emails often create a sense of urgency by threatening delays or other obstacles if payment is not made immediately. To protect themselves, recipients are advised not to open these emails, provide any payment or personal information, or click on any links or attachments included in the message.
Residents who are unsure about the authenticity of a message should contact the City of Grand Junction Community Development Department directly at comdev@gjcity.org or 970-244-1430. Those who have fallen victim to this impersonation scam are encouraged to file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.
The Grand Junction Police Department said it encourages everyone to remain vigilant and take steps to protect their personal and financial information.
