County warns development review applicants of ongoing email phishing scam impersonating county officials
Larimer County is warning people with active development review or related permit applications about sophisticated phishing emails that impersonate Larimer County officials and request fraudulent payments.
The scam is part of a nationwide trend of criminals impersonating city and county officials to request payments related to planning, zoning, permitting, and development projects. It was recently highlighted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Recognizing Scams
Fraudulent messages may feature convincing county logos or watermarks and accurate parcel details. They often come from public domains such as @gmail.com or @usa.com. Official Larimer County emails only come from domains ending in @larimer.org or @co.larimer.co.us.
Scam emails may also provide convincing itemized fee breakdowns in the body of the email or as a PDF attachment. They may also claim a project has been recommended for approval contingent on immediate payment, instruct people to only communicate through email, and request wire transfers or other forms of payment.
County officials emphasize that Larimer County never requests wire transfers, demands immediate payment to secure approvals, or restricts communication to email.
Steps to Protect Yourself
To protect against potential fraud, applicants should take steps to verify county communications.
- Carefully inspect full sender addresses and confirm that the message comes from email domains ending in larimer.org or co.larimier.co.us.
- Ensure messages do not imply a sense of urgency related to your permit application or development review.
- Avoid replying to or using contact details listed in suspicious messages.
- Verify any payment requests with county staff.
Fee obligations and permit applications can be confirmed directly with the Larimer County Community Development Department by calling 970-498-7683 or emailing planningCIRT@larimer.org. Anyone who receives a suspicious payment request is urged to contact the county directly before acting or sharing financial details.
View FBI Alert Number I-030926-PSA - Criminals Impersonating City and County Officials in Phishing Emails for Planning and Zoning Permits for more information.
