Kitsap County officials have issued an urgent warning regarding a series of fraudulent emails designed to trick residents and businesses into sharing sensitive information. The scam involves imposters posing as county employees to facilitate a phishing scheme.
Key Details of the Alert:
- The Tactic: Scammers are sending emails that appear to come from the Kitsap County Purchasing Manager. These messages often include a “Request for Quote” (RFQ) or other official-looking procurement documents.
- The Goal: The primary objective of these emails is to harvest login credentials or financial details. They typically contain links to fake login portals or malicious attachments that can compromise the recipient’s computer system.
- Official Warning: The county’s actual purchasing department has clarified that it does not send out unsolicited requests for quotes via email in this manner. They are urging anyone who receives a suspicious message from a “Kitsap County” address to refrain from clicking any links or downloading files.
- How to Verify: Officials recommend that vendors and residents verify the legitimacy of any unexpected communication by contacting the county’s purchasing office directly through known, official phone numbers or by visiting the Kitsap County website.
This warning comes as part of a broader effort to combat the rise of “business email compromise” (BEC) scams, which frequently target local government contractors and small businesses by mimicking trusted public officials.
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