Beaver Staff
Greater Napanee is warning residents of a possible phone scam regarding the deferral of taxes and utility bills.
Though no scams have been reported in Greater Napanee as of yet, similar scams have been noted in neighbouring municipalities.
The reported calls in neighbouring municipalities have been from callers claiming they are municipal staff from the municipal tax/billing department. The caller is asking residents if they would like their taxes/bills deferred due to financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. If the resident answers ‘yes,’ the caller asks for the resident’s banking information to stop any future payments to the municipality.
The Town of Greater Napanee notes if it were to defer taxes or utilities bills, it would be a council decision and the proper and adequate public notice would be made before any changes take place. No such decision has been made at this time.
Secondly, Town of Greater Napanee staff would never phone a taxpayer asking for their banking information. The town is advising that if anyone receives a phone call of this nature to hang up immediately and notify both the Town of Greater Napanee and the Napanee OPP of this scam call.
Everyone is encouraged to proceed with caution when answering any phone calls from an unfamiliar phone number at any time, especially during this vulnerable COVID-19 situation.
To notify the Town of Greater Napanee of any suspected scams, call 613-354-3351.