Municipal Clerk Warns of Email Scam

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An email scam impersonating the Municipal Clerk is currently targeting applicants for marijuana and alcohol licenses and appearance requests found on Regular Assembly Meeting agendas. The scam emails contain key indicators that applicants should note to help identify a potential scam:

License Applicants
Some license applicants received a scam email announcing a "newly introduced municipal compensation fee." The scam asserts applicants must pay the new fee to "cover several aspects" of the application process, including "infrastructural provision" to pay for public utilities and road maintenance, described as "essential for your customers' convenience." The scam claims that paying the fee helps "qualify your business for any future grants." The Municipal Clerk's Office does not administer grants and does not pay into general government operations.

Appearance Requests
Some applicants who requested to appear before the Assembly received a scam email inviting the recipient to pay an additional fee to "invite your favorite politician" to the meeting and air the segment on "a major television network as part of a public education initiative." The Municipal Clerk's Office does not request payment from applicants for additional add-ons to public meeting appearances.

In both instances, the scam misidentifies the Municipal Clerk as former Clerk Barbara Jones. The current Municipal Clerk is Jamie Heinz. The scam was sent from an email ending in @usa.com. Please be advised that the Municipal Clerk's Office only communicates using official @muni.org and @anchorageak.gov email addresses.

If you receive an email like this, please call the Municipal Clerk's Office at 907-343-4311 or forward the email to [email protected] to report the scam.

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Contact:

Jamie Heinz, Municipal Clerk
[email protected]​

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