Washington County Says That Permit Email Is a Scam. Don't Wire Them Shit.

Somebody out here is sending fake Washington County Planning & Zoning emails telling people to wire money before their paperwork can move forward. Let me make this easy: the county says that message is fraudulent. Don't send a dime.

An official-looking email does not make it an official bill.6ix

The scam uses an 'Application Review and Approval Fee' as the excuse. The recipient is told to reply for wire instructions and then provide proof they paid. Think about how specific that is. It isn't some random prince sending you a million dollars. It's a message aimed at somebody who might actually be waiting on a permit or zoning application.

And that's the part that makes it dangerous. If you've already got a project going, you're more likely to believe somebody needs one more fee before it can proceed. They don't need to fool everybody. Just the person stressed about getting a business opened or construction started.

Here's the rule the county gave everybody

Washington County explicitly says it does NOT collect permit or application payments through emailed wire-transfer instructions. If you get one of those emails, don't respond, don't send personal information, and don't pay it. If you're uncertain, call the county using the number published on its actual website. Don't trust the number the suspicious email gives you.

The county also says this isn't the first time it's warned about these messages. There was a similar alert back in July, and a fresh warning went out October 2. So this ain't a theoretical caution tucked away in a cybersecurity manual. They're telling residents it's circulating.

If somebody already sent money, contact your financial institution immediately and report the incident to law enforcement. Waiting around to see whether the 'permit officer' responds ain't the move.

Share the warning with somebody who owns property, runs a business, or is applying for permits. A fake email is a whole lot less effective when people know the trick before it lands.