Recent scams use community ties as bait, police say

Both Glencoe and Kenilworth officials are warning residents of phishing scams coming straight to their devices.

An unspecified number of Glencoe residents reportedly received a text message on Tuesday, June 16, linking to an alleged survey about Glencoe’s lakefront, according to a Facebook post from the Village of Glencoe and the Glencoe Park District.

The survey was neither created nor distributed by the village or park district, officials said.

The village’s post says, “As a reminder, residents should use caution when receiving unsolicited text messages and avoid clicking links from unknown sources.”

The message was sent amid a villagewide discussion on lakefront parking issues that caused the Village Board to pass new regulations, as The Record previously reported.

Officials pointed residents to the village’s website for any updates regarding the lakefront.

An alleged scam email was also sent to Kenilworth residents earlier this week, according to an email from the village’s police department.

An applicant working with the village received a “professional-looking” email requesting a village fee related to a project. The applicant reportedly realized the scam and reported it to the authorities. .

The Kenilworth Police Department noted in its statement multiple red-flags in the message: the sender’s email did not belong to the village’s official domain, it was sent out of regular business hours, it asked for money via wire transfer (the village does not use wire transfers), and it used an urgent tone to encourage immediate payment.

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