Sunshine Coast Council is urging local community members to be on alert for a scam involving a fake letter purporting to be written by the Council’s Mayor.
The impersonation attempt appears as a letter from Sunshine Coast Council Mayor, Rosanna Natoli, regarding a ‘Beautify the beaches program’.
The letter informs the reader that he or she has been selected as a ‘Beauty Bonus’ participant in the initiative, for which they will receive a $10,000 welcome gift, a 50% rebate on property rates for new residents, complimentary gym and spa memberships. The letter also states that the Council will pay all relocation costs for those moving to a new home within the local government area.
“Thank you for helping us to make the Sunshine Coast even more picturesque. Together, we will create a stunning future!” the letter concludes.
The initiative has been shared on social media platform, Instagram, which encourages the community to email *beauty*@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au.
“Council Staff are investigating and will report to Instagram and relevant authorities, and our community is encouraged not to engage with this post or email as it is not legitimate,” the Council said in a statement.
“We encourage anyone who has received social media or other communications via a fake profile to report this behaviour to the social media network it’s occurring on, the Queensland Police Service, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and Scam Watch.”
