The permit invoice looks specific because the application is public.

Real property addresses and application numbers can make a fraudulent payment demand feel official.

The FBI has warned that criminals are impersonating city and county planning officials to demand fraudulent fees from people and businesses with active land-use applications.

The messages can cite an actual property address, permit record, zoning application number or project description. Those details are not proof that the sender works for the government: planning records may be publicly searchable and can be used to identify applicants at precisely the moment they expect an invoice.

The payment switch

The fraudulent email may copy names, titles, logos and language from a local agency. It then directs the recipient to pay by wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment or cryptocurrency—often using instructions that do not match the government’s normal portal or published process.

The strongest verification step is independent contact. Use the telephone number or payment portal published on the government’s official website, not contact information inside the unexpected message. Ask the permitting office to confirm the invoice number, amount and destination account.

Warning signs

• The sender’s domain resembles, but does not exactly match, the local government’s domain.
• Payment is directed to an individual, unfamiliar company or cryptocurrency wallet.
• The message creates urgency or threatens the application without immediate payment.
• Reply-to details or banking instructions differ from prior official correspondence.

Responding to a fraudulent invoice

Do not reply using the suspect thread. Preserve the complete email, including headers, attachments, invoice and payment instructions. Contact the government agency independently, notify the financial institution immediately if money was sent, and report the scheme to IC3.