The Township of Franklin’s IT Department is alerting residents and local businesses to a fraudulent email circulating that falsely claims to be from the Franklin Township Planning Board.

The email appears to come from:
📧 PLANNING COMMISSION FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP Planning-Co.FranklinTownship@usa.com

This message did not originate from the Township of Franklin and should be deleted immediately.
The Township will never request payments, wire transfers, or sensitive information via unsolicited email.

🚫 How to Identify This Scam

The fraudulent message includes:

• Claims of an attached invoice related to a zoning or planning application

• Instructions to reply to the message for wire transfer details

• A misspelled and reference incorrect name: “Planning Commision” 

• A fake email address using “@usa.com” — official Township emails always end in @franklnnj.gov

✅ What to Do

• Do not reply to the message.

• Do not open attachments or click any links.

• Do not send any payments or provide personal/business information.

• If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from the Township, contact us directly before taking any action:
  📞 (732) 873-2500
  🌐 www.franklintwpnj.org

🔐 Stay Cyber Safe

Scammers often impersonate local governments to appear legitimate. To protect yourself:

• Verify sender email addresses carefully.

• Look for spelling errors or unfamiliar tone/language.

• Never trust urgent payment or verification requests by email.

Township of Franklin – Information Technology Department
Serving our community through cybersecurity awareness