SANDPOINT — Bonner County officials warned residents about increasingly sophisticated scam attempts during a recent business meeting after a local nonprofit reported receiving a fraudulent invoice for nearly $8,000.  

According to Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, a large number of scam attempts have been circulating throughout the county this year, with major phishing attempts in recent months.  

That increase was duly noted during Tuesday’s regular business meeting, when local nonprofit Coolin Civic Organization shared concerns regarding an email it had received Tuesday morning, billing it for $7,900 for last year’s Spring Festival. The email raised serious concern for the nonprofit, as the payment would prevent it from hosting its largest event of the year, the Spring Festival, which has been running for 63 years, according to the organization.  

Confusion was shown across the board of commissioners, as neither Commissioners Brian Domke nor Ron Korn had knowledge of the email allegedly sent by their office. However, commissioners noted that the email seemed fraudulent after the nonprofit shared that it was sent at 4:09 a.m. and 4:11 a.m. and included a request to make a wire transfer for the almost $8,000 fee.  

“I can now speak with 100% confidence that this is an illegitimate email and an illegitimate invoice without even seeing [the email],” Domke said.  

He said the incident reflects a broader increase in scam activity the county has seen over the past year. 

“This is similar to our planning department; we’ve had a lot over the last six months or so of fraudulent invoices going out to people. Because we do our business publicly, the information that’s being considered and brought forward is available publicly, and it's easily looked up online, so people can look up and reference this information, see something that’s coming forward, and then utilize that information to generate false invoices. The county will never request someone to wire money to pay an invoice, so that’s a great indicator of the fact that it’s illegitimate,” Domke said.  

Commissioners encourage community members to contact the county to verify whether applicable emails are legitimate before sharing personal information or making a payment.  

Wheeler also asked individuals who receive fraudulent emails, texts, letters or calls to notify the Sheriff's Office. 

“Please, just be cautious. If anyone asks you to wire money or send gift cards, or any other way that doesn’t seem normal, please pause and ask someone and please call the Sheriff’s Office,” Wheeler said.  

Phishing scams often rely on urgency to pressure victims, using phrases such as “your account may be locked if you don’t pay” or “urgent, act now.” Other scams may involve fake prizes, inheritances or malicious payment links designed to steal personal information. 

The Federal Trade Commission, along with Bonner County, noted that legitimate invoices or bills will not require you to wire money directly via email.  

    1: Double-check that the email address is official. Bonner County email addresses will have a government domain (.gov). Bonner County Sheriff's Office will have an organization domain (.org). Phishers may also include slight misspellings to trick victims (EX, bo.nnercounty) 2: Be wary of language that reflects urgency. It is a tactic used to manipulate victims into making hasty, quick decisions. 3: Official emails will not ask for wire transfers. 4: Another example of language reflecting urgency. 5: Check links before clicking on them; they may contain malicious software.