Beaufort County Government has issued a warning about a phishing scam that is targeting contractors, businesses, and residents in eastern North Carolina.
According to county officials, scammers are using information from public documents to create fraudulent invoices. These invoices are then emailed to people and organizations involved in construction projects, permit applications, and other county-related activities. The emails often look legitimate because they use official branding and real employee names found in public records. The scammers request payment by wire transfer.
Scammers have been sending these emails from addresses ending in @usa.com.
The county advises: “Do not click any links, download attachments, or reply to the sender. Delete the email immediately.”
Officials also remind the public that Beaufort County Government’s official email domain is @beaufortcountync.gov and that the county does not accept payments via wire transfer.
Anyone unsure about an outstanding balance for county services is encouraged to contact the appropriate department directly at the following numbers:
– Administrative Offices: 252-946-0079
– Inspections: 252-946-7182
– Water Billing: 252-946-7721
– Tax Assessor: 252-946-7981
– Tax Collector: 252-946-2922
Additional contact information can be found at BeaufortCountyNC.gov.
If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, call the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 252-946-0101.
In related news about education performance in Beaufort County schools, recent data shows that among senior students taking the science portion of the ACT during the 2022–23 school year, only 18.6% were considered ready for college (source). For junior students taking science during that period, 16.5% met college readiness benchmarks (source). In reading, 25.3% of seniors and 23.7% of juniors were deemed college-ready (source). Math scores showed similar results with 18.8% of seniors and 16.9% of juniors meeting college readiness standards (source).
