Delaware County Advises Residents on Phishing Scam Impersonating Planning Departments, Commissions

The FBI is warning the public about an emerging phishing scheme impersonating county officials to solicit fraudulent payments for permits

Media, PA — Delaware County is warning residents about a phishing scheme by criminals impersonating local governments’ planning departments to solicit fraudulent payments for city and county planning and zoning permits. These malicious actors leverage publicly available permit information to identify potential victims and increase the legitimacy of the scam. Victims of this scam have been identified nationwide.

The County is taking the FBI’s warning seriously and advises residents to not answer emails from addresses such as “PlanningDptDelawareCountyPa.gov@usa.com.” 

Residents of Delaware County are advised to verify any correspondence coming from the County. Anyone who is unsure of the authenticity of an email is advised to go to DelcoPA.gov and contact the email or phone number listed on the respective department or office’s web page. Emails from Delaware County employees will come from a “@co.delaware.pa.us” address, with limited exceptions.

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.

Below are details from the FBI regarding the scheme. 
 

Common indicators of the scheme are: 
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, including review processes, planning commission procedures, regulatory compliance, and relevant ordinances. The email addresses contain usernames similar to city or county planning and zoning departments but originate from non-governmental domains, such as "@usa.com".

Email delivery may be timed to coincide with ongoing communications with city and county officials regarding the permitting process. Attached PDF invoices contain itemized statements of purported fees and direct applicants to request payment instructions via email, rather than telephone, to ensure a reliable audit trail for all correspondence related to the application. This is designed to deter the victim from calling the city or county office to verify the fees. The emails emphasize urgency, threatening delays or other obstacles in the permitting process if the applicant does not immediately render payment.

Tips To Protect Yourself
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.

Report It
If you or someone you know has fallen victim to this impersonation scam, file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. 

Be sure to include any available information including:

• The email address, date of email, phone number, if provided;
• The date of your project's scheduled hearing, if applicable; and,
• The amount listed in the fraudulent invoice, the method requested to pay fees, and bank account information, if provided.