Police in Fremont are warning residents about a scam in which fraudsters impersonate city departments and demand fake payments or fines tied to permits and other applications.
In a community advisory, the Fremont Police Department said scammers have been posing as departments such as Planning and Building and Safety by sending emails or letters claiming recipients owe immediate payments. Some messages display “City of Fremont” as the sender name but use fraudulent email addresses, including look-alike domains that do not belong to the city. Examples include [email protected], or [email protected].
Police said all legitimate city of Fremont email addresses end with @fremont.gov. Emails sent from any other domain are not from the city.
They urged residents and businesses to check the sender’s full email address, avoid clicking links or opening attachments in suspicious messages, and never send payment or personal information in response to unexpected requests.
Anyone applying for a city permit is urged to verify the status of their application directly with the appropriate city department using contact information listed at fremont.gov.
Residents who believe they have received a fraudulent message are encouraged to report it to local law enforcement or the Fremont Police Department’s non-emergency line at 510-790-6800, option 3.