Fake city or county zoning-permit fee email
The FBI has warned that criminals email people who have real land-use permit applications and ask them to pay fake fees. The emails often include accurate addresses, case numbers, and the names of real local officials.
How it works
Scammers use public permit records to find people and businesses with open planning or zoning applications. They send a professional-looking email that cites the property address, a case number, and sometimes a real official's name. An attached PDF invoice lists fees and tells you to request payment instructions by email, not by phone. They want payment by wire, a peer-to-peer app, or cryptocurrency, and they warn that delays will hold up the permit. The sending address may look close to a city department but comes from a non-government domain, such as @usa.com.
Red flags
- The email asks for a wire, app payment, or cryptocurrency for a government permit fee.
- The invoice tells you to get payment instructions by email and not to call.
- The sender's domain is not the city's real .gov address.
- The message stresses that you must pay immediately or the permit will be delayed.
What to do
- Do not pay from the email or reply with more information.
- Call the city or county using the phone number on its official website to ask if any fee is due.
- Check the official site for any notice about this impersonation scheme.
- If you paid or got one of these emails, report it at ic3.gov, including the email address, invoice amount, and payment method requested.
Where to report it
- reportfraud.ftc.gov — the FTC's report form.
- ic3.gov — the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.