BOSTON, MA — The Boston Police Department is warning residents and businesses about a phishing scam involving fraudulent emails related to planning and zoning permit applications.
Criminals are impersonating city and county government officials and sending emails to people with active land-use permit applications, according to an advisory from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The fraudulent emails reference real permit details, including property addresses, case numbers and the names of actual officials to appear legitimate.
Victims are then pressured to pay fabricated permit fees via wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment apps or cryptocurrency.
The scam has been reported nationwide.
Police advise residents to be cautious of unsolicited emails that request payment via wire transfer, apps like Venmo or Zelle, or cryptocurrency.
Other warning signs include emails that create urgency by threatening permit delays if payment is not made immediately, direct recipients to respond only by email to verify fees, or come from email addresses that do not end in an official government domain.
Some fraudulent emails include PDF invoices with itemized fees and payment instructions.
Police note that professional formatting, official logos and the correct names of real government officials do not guarantee an email is legitimate.
Residents should not pay any fees requested via email without first verifying them independently by looking up the phone number for the relevant city or county office directly from the official government website.
Anyone who has been targeted by the scam should file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
Community members may also provide information anonymously to the Boston Police Department via the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS, by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME, or online at https://police.boston.gov/crimestoppers/.
