Emails or letters are being sent by people posing as officials from local or county planning and zoning departments and are requesting immediate payments for fake land-use fees, permit renewals, or other related services. The emails and letters often look official and contain information from publicly available planning and zoning documents. They appear to look legitimate at first glance.  They may even contain a fake invoice, the Village logo, and the names of Village employees.

Letters or emails that ask for immediate payment or use threatening language are meant to cause panic and get a quick response.  Review these requests carefully.  Most times you will find typographical errors or misspelled addresses alerting you to the scam.  Pay close attention to the sender’s email address.  Any official email coming from the Village of Hanover Park will end with “@hpil.org”.  The fake invoices often list false charges described as “administrative costs”, “compliance assessments”, and “processing fees”.

Most importantly, these letters or emails ask that you pay via a wire transfer, ACH (Automated Clearing House) payment, or other unusual forms of payment.  The Village of Hanover Park NEVER requests that payments be made via wire transfer or ACH.  All payments for fees or services are made through a direct link to the Village Finance Department or in person at Village Hall.

Bottom line, when in doubt, please contact the Village directly to confirm whether or not the invoice or request for payment is legitimate.

Inspectional Services at 630-823-5860

Economic Development at 630-823-5778

Village Administration at 630-823-5600.

Potential fraud can also be reported to the Illinois Attorney General’s office at 1-800-386-5438.