Protect Yourself from Fake Permit Payment Emails

Washington County and the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) are warning Oregonians of a phishing scam directed at people who are awaiting approval for a project from their local building or planning department.

The scammers use information about the person and the project that can be found in public records and claim the application has been approved and requires payment.

Their message instructs the recipient to reply to the email for payment advice. The scammers send them wire transfer instructions to pay the invoice and tell them to send a copy of the wire transfer receipt to a designated address. The scammers also state, “all correspondence must be conducted by email to ensure transparency and accurate record-keeping for auditing purposes.”

“We don’t work that way,” said Derrick Moon, Washington County Building Official. “People coming to us for permits are welcome to interact in person and over the phone. We do not ask people to wire funds to us. If you get a message asking you to wire funds, contact our office directly to confirm and protect yourself.”

If you are in the permitting process with Washington County and receive an unusual payment request for your permit approval, please contact us at the phone number listed in your original permit paperwork or call us at 503-846-3470 to confirm if the request is valid.

Read the full Oregon Dept. of Consumer & Business Services Flashalert.

View a sample of the permit scam email.