The Wayne County Planning Department is warning town and village officials about phishing emails that impersonate county planning board members and staff while seeking fraudulent payments.
The department said the emails may appear legitimate and can include references to existing proposals, names of officials or board members, local law citations, official-looking logos and templates.
The messages have requested application review and approval fees, according to the county. Brian Pincelli, executive director of the Wayne County Planning Department, said the county does not charge fees for application review or approval for referrals provided by towns and villages.
"The County Planning Board and our personnel will never request payments through email using cryptocurrency, peer-to-peer payment apps, or wire transfers for planning board matters," Pincelli said in the release.
County officials said warning signs can include senders using non-government domains, invoices that direct recipients to reply by email for payment instructions, urgent language threatening delays or penalties, and requests for payment by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or payment apps.
Officials are urging recipients to check email addresses carefully and compare them with previous correspondence before taking action.
Anyone with questions about a planning-related payment request should contact the Wayne County Planning Department directly before responding or sending money.
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