The city of Manitou Springs warned the public Friday that someone is sending fraudulent emails, impersonating the city’s planning director.

In a statement sent out Friday afternoon the city warned that at least two residents had received emails from someone falsely claiming to be Planning Director Fred Rollenhagen, asking for a permit approval payment.

One of the fraudulent emails referenced a “Major Temporary Use Permit” and warned the recipient to request an invoice and submit payment to maintain business operations.

The city is reportedly actively investigating the emails.

Manitou Springs City Hall urges the public to take the following precautions:

• Verify all permit or payment-related communications by contacting the city’s Planning Department at 719-685-4398 or by visiting City Hall at 606 Manitou Avenue.
• Do not delete any suspicious emails. Retain them as evidence in case they are needed for investigation.
• Do not send any form of payment or disclose sensitive information unless the request has been verified through official channels.

Legitimate emails from the city will only come from addresses ending in “@manitouspringsco.gov.”

The public is asked to report any suspected impersonation attempts or fraudulent correspondence immediately to the city at 719-306-2884 or pio@manitouspringsco.gov.