Why did the email have my real address and permit number?

That kind of information is often public record, available through a county's own property and permit lookup tools, so having it does not confirm who actually sent the email.

Would a real planning office ever ask for a wire transfer?

Government planning and permitting offices typically collect fees through their own website or office window, not through an emailed invoice asking for a wire transfer to an outside account.

The email looked like it came from the county. Doesn't that make it real?

Not on its own. A message can display a government office's name while the actual sending address is a different, unrelated domain, which is why you should check the full email address before you act on anything it asks for.

Scam alert

Building Permit Email Asks You to Wire Money? Call the Permit Office

Updated Oct 28 · First posted Sep 13

Boulder County · bouldercounty.gov · Arrives by an email

The short answer

Do not wire money because of an email about a building permit, even if it names your real address, a docket number, or a planning staff member you recognize. Government planning and permitting offices do not collect fees through an emailed invoice asking for a wire transfer. Call the office yourself, using the number on its official website or a past bill rather than anything in the email, and ask whether a payment is actually owed before you send anything.

What is happening

Boulder County's planning and permitting office said in September 2026 that property owners were being emailed with real addresses, docket numbers, and staff names attached, then asked to pay an invoice by wire transfer from an address outside the county's own domain, a pattern the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center had already described reaching city and county permit applicants nationally earlier in the year. In October 2026, the City of Rochester, New Hampshire, said residents and property owners were getting fake invoices and payment requests that appeared to come from its Planning Department and Planning Board, and warned about requests for unusual payment methods, including gift cards. That month, WTHR reported that a resident of the Ravenswood neighborhood of Indianapolis, still rebuilding after the August flooding, received an email posing as a city department director with an $8,150 "flood permit" invoice, a strong preference for wire transfer, and a sender address that was not an official city domain. Also in October 2026, police in Hudson, New Hampshire, warned of emails posing as town officials that ask for payment for permits and applications and may include details about a person's property or project, WMUR reported, and Madison County, Florida, which had warned in August about fake Planning and Zoning invoices asking for wire transfers, said callers, texts and emails posing as its Planning and Zoning staff were claiming zoning or code violations, fines, liens or stop-work orders and demanding immediate payment by wire, gift card, cryptocurrency or a payment app, FOX 49 reported.

How to recognize it

The email asks you to pay an invoice by wire transfer, gift cards, or another unusual method rather than through the office's own payment system.
It names your real property address, a docket or permit number, or a planning staff member's name.
The sender's email address is a personal-style domain, such as one ending in usa.com, or a close look-alike of the government domain rather than the office's real one.
It arrives while you are rebuilding after a flood or other disaster and bills you for a permit review.
A call, text, or email claims your property has a zoning or code violation, a lien, or a stop-work order, and threatens legal action unless you pay right away.
An email says documents were uploaded because they were too large to attach and gives you a "View Document" link.
The message creates urgency about a permit being delayed, fined, or cancelled if payment does not arrive quickly.

What to do instead

Do not click a payment link or wire money based on the email alone.
Call your planning or permitting office using the number on its official website or a past bill, not a number given in the email.
Check the sender's full email address, not just the name it displays, for a domain that does not match the government office.
Pay permit fees only through the office's own website or in person, the way you have before.
If you want to tell someone, the rule is: call the permit office on a number you already trust before you pay any emailed invoice.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

Contact your bank right away if you sent a wire transfer, and ask whether it can still be recalled.
Tell your planning or permitting office what happened so it can warn other property owners.
Report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and to your state attorney general's office.
Keep the email and any payment confirmation. They help both your bank and investigators.

Open Help Now

Common questions

Why did the email have my real address and permit number?: That kind of information is often public record, available through a county's own property and permit lookup tools, so having it does not confirm who actually sent the email.
Would a real planning office ever ask for a wire transfer?: Government planning and permitting offices typically collect fees through their own website or office window, not through an emailed invoice asking for a wire transfer to an outside account.
The email looked like it came from the county. Doesn't that make it real?: Not on its own. A message can display a government office's name while the actual sending address is a different, unrelated domain, which is why you should check the full email address before you act on anything it asks for.

Practice this safely

Practice calling an office yourself, using a number you already trust, before paying anything an email asks for.

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Tell someone

Copy a short note you can paste into a text or email. It names the scam, the next step, and this page. Nothing is sent from this site.

Building Permit Email Asks You to Wire Money? Call the Permit Office

Do not wire money because of an email about a building permit, even if it names your real address, a docket number, or a planning staff member you recognize. Government planning and permitting offices do not collect fees through an emailed invoice asking for a wire transfer. Call the office yourself, using the number on its official website or a past bill rather than anything in the email, and ask whether a payment is actually owed before you send anything.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/planning-permit-invoice-phishing

Where this comes from

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Phishing emails

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This alert provides general educational information drawn from the sources above. It cannot determine whether a specific message you received is genuine, investigate an incident, or promise recovery or reimbursement.

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