On Thursday, anonymous fraudsters posing as town zoning department officials emailed a resident with a fake invoice for $3,909 in fees to be paid to the “Town of Plainfield” via wire transfer.
The email and attached invoice used the correct name, address, contact information and permit number for the applicant, who has a $95 bill pending for a permit to install an aboveground swimming pool and deck that was listed on the town’s public access portal for zoning applications.
The email from planningandzoningdiv@usa.com used “Town of Plainfield Planning and Zoning Department” as the sender ID and used the town’s address, letterhead and watermark on the invoice.
The town posted copies of the scammers’ materials in a warning to residents Thursday. In the message, the town said the scam is not a result of a security breach.
On Friday afternoon, the public search function for zoning documents was disabled on the landing page for the “PermitLink” public access portal.
“These emails look convincing and target residents who have pending applications with the Planning and Zoning Department,” the town said Thursday. “While applicants can pay online, the system will never direct you to make a wire transfer, like this one does. The system will only take credit card payments.”
The Plainfield Police Department did not respond to questions asking whether other residents were targeted in the scam.
Earlier this month, the FBI issued a public service announcement to warn the public “about an emerging phishing scheme by criminals impersonating city and county officials to solicit fraudulent payments for city and county planning and zoning permits.”
The FBI said the scheme has targeted individuals and businesses across the country.
“The criminals leverage publicly available permit information to identify potential victims and increase the legitimacy of the scam,” the FBI said in the message. It added: “Victims are instructed to pay invoices for fees related to their permits and directed to make payments via wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment, or cryptocurrency. ... The emails emphasize urgency, threatening delays or other obstacles in the permitting process if the applicant does not immediately render payment.”
The FBI said victims should file a detailed report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
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