Scam email causes Orange residents, employees to flood Town Hall with calls

ORANGE — Town Hall has reportedly been flooded with calls from residents and town employees following fraudulent emails disguised as coming from Town Administrator Gabriele Voelker.

Leanna Dennis, administrative assistant to Voelker and the Selectboard, stressed the importance of not replying to these emails. As of Tuesday afternoon, she said people had been “calling off the hook,” leading her to spend a great deal of time answering calls and replying to emails from panicked residents and town employees.

“My afternoon’s shot now,” Dennis said, adding that Suzor IT representatives were on the way to combat the problem.

A Greenfield Recorder reporter also received one of the fraudulent emails. The subject line reads “FAVOR NEEDED (Urgent),” followed by numerous exclamation points. The email states the sender hopes you and your family are doing well and asks for a quick reply to discuss a favor.

The email also falsely states Voelker is the treasurer of New Salem, Orange, Shutesbury and the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District. She is the town administrator in Orange and, according to New Salem’s municipal website, serves as chair of the Finance Committee in that town, where she lives.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.

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