Town of Stouffville Warns of Fraudulent Email Scam

The Town of Stouffville is warning of a fraudulent email scam requesting payment of an "Application Approval Fee." The scam email impersonates Town staff, uses publicly available information, and includes a fake, itemized invoice directing recipients to pay by wire transfer. There is no indication that any private application related data has been accessed.

If you receive a suspicious email from the Town of Stouffville:

• Do not click links, open attachments, or send payment.
• Verify directly with the contact you have at the Town of Stouffville, by email or telephone.
• Report it to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit their website.

General tips to help spot email scams:

• Look closely at the sender's email address, not just the display name — scammers often use addresses that look like a legitimate email, but there are often typos, or formatting issues.
• Be cautious of any email creating a sense of urgency or pressure to act immediately.
• Be wary of requests for personal or financial information, including banking details, sent by email.
• Legitimate organizations will not ask you to bypass normal verification steps.

If you are ever unsure whether an email is legitimate, take a moment to verify it before responding. Contact the organization using a phone number or email address you already know to be correct, rather than any contact information included in the email itself.