Criminals posing as city and county planning officials are demanding fraudulent permit fees

Palm Springs, CA

The Palm Springs Police Department is warning residents and businesses about a nationwide phishing scam in which criminals impersonate city and county planning and zoning officials to collect fraudulent permit payments.

Scammers are targeting people and businesses that have active land-use permit applications. Using publicly available information, they send convincing emails that include legitimate property addresses, permit numbers and the names of government officials. The messages demand payment of bogus permit fees, often by wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment service or cryptocurrency.

Police urged anyone with a pending application to be cautious with unsolicited payment requests.

How to protect yourself

• Verify all payment requests directly with the City using official contact information.
• Be wary of unsolicited emails demanding immediate payment.
• Check sender addresses carefully for suspicious or non-governmental domains.
• Never send payment without independently confirming the request is legitimate.

Reporting suspicious activity

Anyone in Palm Springs who receives a suspicious permit payment request, or who becomes a victim of the scam, should report it to the Palm Springs Police Department. Victims are also encouraged to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

Additional information about the nationwide scam is available in the FBI’s public service announcement at ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260309.