Beware of Fake City of Spokane Development and Permit Invoices

Beware of Fake City of Spokane Development and Permit Invoices

Erin Hut, Communications Director, [email protected]

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 2:57 p.m.

The City of Spokane Development Services Center (DSC) has been made aware of fraudulent emails being sent to customers that falsely appear to originate from City staff regarding permit, planning, and/or development applications. The City will never request payment through emailed wire transfer instructions.

These emails may:

• Use the names of City employees;
• Reference actual projects, addresses, or permit applications;
• Include invoices or payment requests;
• Instruct recipients to request or submit payment through a wire transfer;
• Appear to come from email addresses that are not official City of Spokane email accounts.

Customers working with the DSC should do the following before making any type of payment:

• Verify that the email originates from an official City of Spokane email address ending in @spokanecity.org;
• Carefully review the sender's email address, not just the display name;
• Do not click links, open attachments, or provide financial information if you are uncertain about the legitimacy of a message;
• Contact the Development Services Center directly to verify any invoice or payment request.

If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from the City of Spokane, do not send payment or financial information. Forward the email to the Development Services Center ([email protected]) for review, then delete the message after reporting it.

The City takes these incidents seriously and is working to notify customers and investigate fraudulent activity. We encourage all applicants, contractors, developers, and property owners to remain vigilant and verify payment requests before taking action.

For questions or to verify the legitimacy of an invoice, please contact the Development Services Center at (509) 625-6300.

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