Marin County officials are warning planning and building permit applicants about a phishing scam involving fraudulent emails that request payment for permit-related fees.
The Marin County Community Development Agency said on Saturday it has received reports of applicants receiving emails that appear to come from Community Development Agency Director Sarah Jones. The email claims recipients owe an administrative fee and includes an invoice attachment.
County officials said the emails are fraudulent and were not sent by the agency.
According to the agency, legitimate permit payment requests are made only through official county channels, including ProjectDox notifications, county website application prompts, permit fee payment forms, or payments submitted by mail or drop-off.
The agency said it will never request payments through wire transfers or payment apps such as Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal.
County officials urged applicants to be cautious of invoices or urgent payment demands sent by email, verify payment requests directly with the agency, avoid opening suspicious attachments or links, and check full email addresses carefully before responding.
Anyone who receives a questionable email or invoice is encouraged to contact the agency at CDAOmbudsperson@marincounty.gov before sending payment.