Press Release - Community Development warns of widespread planning & permitting fraud

Community Development warns of widespread planning & permitting fraud

More than 12 city and county planning and development departments throughout Colorado have received reports from customers who have been issued fraudulent invoices for planning services. While La Plata County has not received any reports of applicants who have received such communications, the Community Development Department recommends that those working through the land use and building permitting process to be cautious.

These fake email addresses closely resemble legitimate government accounts. For example, in one reported case, emails were sent from an address formatted as:

Planning.BoulderCountyCO@usa[.]com

Using these impersonated accounts, the attacker sends applicants/businesses an invoice for a fraudulent "application review and approval fee," typically demanding payment of approximately $4,000. The messages include threats that the recipient's permit or license application will be delayed or stalled if payment is not made promptly. Local governments emphasize that these invoices are not legitimate and were not issued by any official planning department. Our Community Development Department will communicate using their individual email addresses (with a name), not a general email account. All emails from La Plata County government will have the same format, consisting of [email protected]. For example, an email from John Smith will come from [email protected].

La Plata County strongly encourages applicants to verify any fee, fine, or invoice by directly contacting the Community Development Department using the official contact information below. It is always appropriate-and encouraged-to confirm the authenticity of any payment request.

To verify any request you get from the La Plata County Planning or Building Departments, please reach out to [email protected] and/or [email protected] or (970) 382-6263.