HARTLAND — A scammer pretending to be Hartland's village president took more than $1,000 from an elected official.
The scam was the result of a phishing email that tricked one village trustee.
For weeks, that trustee had been requesting reimbursement from the village. On Friday evening, TMJ4 learned she is now walking back that request.
"Someone was just saying they were me, but they weren't me, they weren't the village president," said President Jeffrey Pfannerstill.
The scammer wrote in the email that they were surprising staff and needed the trustee to buy gift cards to be sent out soon.
The email appeared to be from the village president, but Pfannerstill said the email address was "officecontact3133@gmail.com," which is not a village account.
The emails show the scammer corresponded with the trustee for several hours before she sent photos of the gift cards, with their codes scratched off and visible.
By the time the trustee realized it was a scam, it was too late.
"I find this situation very unfortunate that it happened, but just because someone says they're me, or anyone else, doesn't mean they're them," Pfannerstill told TMJ4.
Watch: Hartland Trustee falls victim to email scam, asks Village for reimbursement
The trustee then asked the village to reimburse her for the $1,200 lost in the incident.
"[Village attorneys] looked into insurance reimbursement, but it's not like the village money was expended—it was personal money that was expended," Pfannerstill explained.
The village president offered to put the measure to a vote at the next village board meeting. The item is now on the agenda.
TMJ4 reached out to Trustee Wallschlager for comment but was told she is out of town on Friday.
A few hours after TMJ4's request, reporter Mariam Mackar received notice from the village that "Trustee Wallschlager has communicated that she will be withdrawing her claim at the meeting."
Until her withdrawal on Monday, that request will remain on the agenda.
"I feel very bad for the trustee that this happened to," said Pfannerstill. "I think there's a lesson that can be learned from this to be extremely cognizant."
You can read a PDF of the emails below:
Wallschlager Email String by TMJ4 News on Scribd
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