Scammers are zeroing in on Washington County residents and contractors working on permits and building projects, county officials warned on April 28, by trying to hustle them into wiring money for fees and approvals. The county is clear on one key point: it will not ask customers to send funds by wire for permit payments, project approvals, or any other service. Officials say anyone who gets a sketchy payment request should stop, double-check it through official channels, and assume that urgent demands to “wire funds now” are a red flag. The scheme appears to lean on public project records and high-pressure language to push victims into sending money quickly.
In an April 28 advisory posted to its Facebook page, the county included a shortened link to a sample scam message that tells recipients to wire payment, according to Washington County. The county had already flagged the same wire-transfer phishing scheme back in November, in a notice on Washington County.
How the Scam Works
State officials say scammers are pulling project details from public records, then emailing applicants to claim a permit application has been approved. After that, the fraudsters send wire-transfer instructions and ask for a receipt once the money is sent. “Your local building or planning department will not request that you send money to them via wire transfer,” the Oregon Building Codes Division warned, urging people to confirm contact information on official government sites before replying to any message, according to the Oregon Building Codes Division.
What Washington County Asks You to Do
Washington County Building Services is telling applicants to verify any payment request by calling the phone number printed on their original permit paperwork, or by phoning the county building office directly at 503-846-3470. The county also stresses that permit fees can be paid through its Public Permitting and Services Portal instead of by wire, and it provides a sample scam email so people can compare suspicious messages to the fake, as outlined by Washington County.
Protect Yourself and Report Fraud
Officials advise people not to wire funds to unknown accounts, to verify email addresses and phone numbers using official websites, and to use only a licensed money transmitter if a third party is ever required, according to the Oregon Building Codes Division. If you think you have been targeted or have already lost money, you are urged to call the Oregon Department of Justice Consumer Hotline at 1-877-877-9392 or file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3, according to Oregon DOJ.
Wider Pattern Across Oregon
State and local officials first flagged this scheme last fall, with coverage and county advisories following in October and November as more jurisdictions uncovered similar spoofed invoices and wire requests. Local station KTVZ and county pages across Oregon published alerts about the same scam, including notices on Lane County.
For anyone dealing with a Washington County permit, officials say the safest bet is simple: if a payment request feels even a little off, contact Building Services using the number on your paperwork or through the county portal before sending a dime. Sticking to official phone numbers and the county’s payment portal, they say, is the best way to keep projects moving without funding a scammer’s side hustle.
