FBI warns of phishing impersonating officials over permit fees

The FBI warns of phishing campaigns in which crooks impersonate U.S. city and county officials to target people applying for planning or zoning permits. According to FBI’s public service announcement (PSA), attackers use publicly available permit information to identify victims and make messages appear legitimate, with victims receiving unsolicited emails that reference real permit details such as property addresses, case numbers, and names of actual officials.

The emails request payment of permit-related fees and direct victims to send money via wire transfer, peer-to-peer apps, or cryptocurrency, often using professional language, official-looking formatting, and attached PDF invoices listing supposed charges. The PSA notes that attached invoices contain itemised statements of purported fees and direct applicants to request payment instructions by email rather than telephone to create an audit trail and deter verification with local offices.

Attacks are timed to coincide with ongoing permit applications and sender domains frequently resemble government addresses, encouraging victims not to call official offices. The FBI recommends verifying any requested fees directly with city or county offices and reporting suspected fraud to IC3.