The FBI warns criminals are impersonating city and county planning and zoning officials in phishing campaigns that fraudulently request permit fees, using publicly available permit details to make messages seem legitimate. Victims are directed to pay via wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment, or cryptocurrency, and the FBI urges verification of sender domains, contacting local government offices, and reporting incidents to IC3. #FBI #IC3
Keypoints
- Criminals impersonate city and county planning and zoning officials to request fraudulent permit fees.
- Attackers use publicly available permit information to craft convincing phishing emails.
- Scammers direct victims to pay invoices via wire transfer, peer-to-peer apps, or cryptocurrency.
- Common indicators include non-governmental email domains, attachment tricks, and urgency to pay.
- The FBI recommends verifying email domains, calling local government offices, and filing complaints with IC3.