Multiple planning and building permit applicants have reported receiving fraudulent emails requesting payment of permit fees by wire transfer.

The emails appear to come from City staff or the Planning Commission, complete with accurate project details and names of real City staff. Similar scams have been reported in jurisdictions across the country.

The City of Piedmont will never ask you to pay permit fees by wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or payment apps such as Zelle or Venmo. Permit fees are paid only through eTrakit or in person at City Hall.

How to protect yourself

Official City email addresses end in @piedmont.ca.gov. Emails from other domains, such as @usa.com or @gmail.com, are not from the City. However, scammers can also disguise the sender’s address, so a familiar-looking email address is not a guarantee that a message is legitimate.

If you receive an unexpected or suspicious request for permit fee payment:

• Do not reply, click links, or send payment.
• Contact the Planning & Building Department directly at (510) 420-3050 to verify the request. Do not use contact information provided in the suspicious email.

If you have already sent money in response to a fraudulent email, contact your bank immediately and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.