Cape Coral residents warned of fake invoice scam targeting locals

CAPE CORAL - Watch out for fake invoices popping up in Cape Coral.

Cape police are warning residents about scams involving fake invoices demanding wire payments to the city.

These invoices often come from a USA.com email and look official with a city seal, but they're not real. If you wire the funds, they're likely gone.

Trisha Simonsen, who is visiting the area, shared her approach to handling such situations.

"I think what I probably do is probably contact friends and family to see if they got the same type of email, second, just go directly with the source, the police, give them a call to see if this is legitimate or not," said Simonsen.

Cape Coral officials emphasize they never request payments via wire transfer or third-party apps like PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. They suggest bringing any suspicious invoices to the city office for verification.

To protect yourself, check the email address, question any wire or gift card payment requests, know what the invoice is for and ensure there's contact information available.

Be skeptical, slow down, and do your research.