BROOKLYN — Residents and people applying for land-use approvals are being warned about fraudulent emails seeking payments supposedly connected to town applications or permits.
In an October 15 Facebook post, WINY Radio reproduced an advisory attributed to the Brooklyn Land Use Office and the First Selectman’s Office. The notice says Interim Town Planner John Guszkowski does not request wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency or other unconventional payments for application fees and permit costs.
The advisory directs anyone receiving an immediate wire-transfer demand or instructions to pay a personal account to withhold payment and not respond. It says legitimate fees follow established town procedures and approved payment methods.
An unexpected request should be checked through an independently obtained town contact. Brooklyn’s official Land Use Department directory lists 860-779-3411, extension 114, for the interim town planner. The office is listed at 69 South Main Street, Suite 21.
The warning matters even when an email appears to relate to a real application: the town’s instruction is to verify the request directly before acting. This report does not establish how the senders obtained recipients’ information.
WINY’s full original post was expanded and read directly in Facebook. The municipal directory independently confirms the planner’s role and contact details; it does not independently document the scam incidents. The advisory checked does not identify a suspect, a number of victims or a total financial loss.