SOUTHINGTON — Police are warning of a scam involving letters purporting to be from town government.
“The mail in question stated ‘COVID-19 RELIEF BENEFITS,’ and in this instance was addressed to an elderly Southington resident,” wrote Lt. Keith Egan in a statement. “The sender was listed as ‘Administrative Offices, Southington, CT;’ however, it is important to note: this letter was not mailed from the Town, nor did the Town grant permission for anyone to use the Town's name to mail the letter to residents.”
Though the letter was addressed to a resident, it was sent to the town Finance Department by the post office as undeliverable. The town does not have a department titled “Administrative Offices.”
“The letter contains an offer to apply for a loan with ‘Pinnacle Lending’. If the number is called, a Representative will ask for personal information, such as the caller’s name, DOB, address, social security number, and security questions/answers, advising personal information is necessary to determine a loan amount entitled to under the program,” Egan wrote.
Known as a phishing scam for it’s attempt to deceive residents into divulging sensitive information, police say it’s similar to another scam targeting residents in Canton. The letter, which appears to have been sent from California, has been turned over to the postal inspector for further investigation.
“The Post Office advised for any residents who receive letter like this to either return them back to the post office or discard them,” Egan wrote.
dleithyessian@record-journal.com203-317-2317Twitter: @leith_yessian