A phishing scam that uses real permit data to demand bogus fees could hit Radnor and Haverford residents and business owners with active building or zoning applications, Delaware County warned Monday, Aug. 3.
The county's alert, citing an FBI warning about the nationwide scheme, says criminals are impersonating local government planning departments and sending emails with attached PDF invoices listing itemized fees, according to the county's advisory.
The scheme is particularly convincing because the criminals scrape publicly available permit records for accurate property addresses, case numbers and the names of county officials. Emails arrive while applicants are actively communicating with county staff about their projects, and they threaten delays or obstacles if payment isn't made immediately. The messages direct recipients to request payment instructions by email rather than phone, a tactic that discourages victims from calling the county to verify.
How to spot the fakes
The county flagged one fraudulent address residents should watch for: "[email protected]." Despite the official-sounding username, it originates from a non-governmental domain.
Legitimate Delaware County emails come from addresses ending in "@co.delaware.pa.us," with limited exceptions, the advisory states. The county cautioned residents not to trust emails based solely on letterhead, official seals, named officials or correct grammar, all of which the scam replicates.
The FBI guidance relayed in the county's advisory urges residents to verify the sender's domain, check the county website for impersonation notices and call the relevant department using the phone number listed at DelcoPA.gov before making any payment.
Who's at risk
Anyone in the permit process along Lancaster Avenue, in downtown Wayne or throughout both townships should be on alert. The scheme specifically exploits the public nature of permit and zoning filings, meaning any applicant whose information appears in county records could receive a convincing fake invoice.
What to do
Residents unsure about an email should go to DelcoPA.gov and contact the department directly using the phone number or email listed there. Anyone who believes they've already been victimized should file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov, including the sender's email address, the date of the email, any phone number provided, the date of any scheduled project hearing, the invoice amount, the payment method requested and any bank account information shared.
