Marin County warns of phishing scam targeting building permit applicants

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Marin County officials are warning the public about a phishing scam targeting people applying for building permits, after fake invoices were sent posing as county communication. 7 On Your Side is helping get the word out.

According to county leaders, applicants have received emails that appear to come from the Marin County Community Development Agency, requesting thousands of dollars in fees via wire transfer.

"It's not something that's happened to us before," said Marin County Planner Easton Ehlers-Cheang.

The scam came to light when a permit applicant forwarded a suspicious email to county staff to verify whether it was legitimate.

Officials quickly determined it was not.

"I knew I had to take quick action and inform management," Ehlers-Cheang said.

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The email appears convincing, using the name of Community Development Agency Director Sarah Jones and including official-looking language about project approval status.

It claims the application is moving forward but requires payment of remaining fees.

An attached invoice requests approximately $7,500 to be wired for "processing."

"It was posing as me. The emails went out over my name," said Jones.

However, officials say there are clear red flags.

The sender's email address is fraudulent - ending in "marincounty@usa.com" instead of an official county domain.

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Jones emphasized that the county will never request payment by wire transfer or through apps like Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal.

"Absolutely not," she said. "We would never ask for payment that way."

So far, at least two applicants have received the phishing emails, but neither fell victim to the scam. "It's absolutely disturbing people are getting scammed for money," Jones said. "It feels like a violation - something going out over my name."

The county has posted warning signs inside its permit office and is encouraging anyone who receives a suspicious email or invoice to ignore it and report it immediately.

"We work hard here to operate with integrity and trust," Jones said. "We can't stop bad things from happening, but we can control what we do about it and get the word out."

Officials remind applicants to verify any payment requests directly with the county before sending money.