Scammers impersonate local zoning, planning officials to collect fake fees, Delaware County warns

Officials in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, are warning about scammers who are impersonating local officials to get money from residents. 

Scammers pretending to be from local planning departments around the country are using public information to find victims, then ask them for fraudulent payments for planning and zoning permits, according to the FBI. Because the victims have ongoing business with local government, the messages can seem legitimate. 

Residents are asked to verify any communication they get from the county. If you need to do that, go to DelcoPA.gov and contact the email address or phone number listed for the department in question. Real emails from Delco officials and staff generally come from @co.delaware.pa.us email addresses, a news release from the county says. 

According to the county, the fraudulent messages come from non-governmental email addresses that end with @usa.com or something similar.

"The emails contain detailed, accurate information about planning and zoning requests, including property addresses, case numbers, and the true names of city and county officials. The emails use professional language, formatting, and imagery consistent with legitimate government communications for planning and zoning applications," the county warns.

The messages may ask people to pay by email and threaten to delay the permitting process if the applicant does not pay right away.

Delaware County shares these tips to protect yourself and your money: 

• Do not assume emails are legitimate based on the use of city or county letterhead, seals, names of officials or proper spelling and grammar. 
• Verify the email address, including the domain name, matches the email address of the official with whom you are corresponding and does not contain extraneous characters or misspellings. 
• Check the city or county official website for notices about ongoing impersonation schemes. 
• Call the city or county government, using the phone number listed on the official website, to verify outstanding fees. 
• Do not answer emails from addresses like PlanningDptDelawareCountyPa.gov@usa.com.

The FBI is advising anyone who suspects they may have been a victim of this scheme to file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.