County Residents Report Zoning Permit Scam
Be aware if you receive unsolicited invoices or suspicious messages
County officials were recently notified of a fraudulent invoice scam involving current zoning requests before the Jefferson County Planning and Development Department. Residents have received fake emails that appear to be official correspondence from Planning and Development directing them to pay an invoice in order to finalize a permit. These scam messages often look professional and may even use the names and titles of Jefferson County employees and details regarding a pending request to appear legitimate.
Red flags that could indicate a scam include:
- Suspicious contact information not affiliated with a legitimate email address. All emails from Jefferson County end with @jeffersoncountywi.gov
- Pressure to pay promptly and through a method such as wire transfer. As standard practice, our Planning and Development Department does not send invoices. Residents pay at the time of their application or permit.
Please be aware that scammers can impersonate any County department or private business to try to steal your money. If you receive a message or request that you suspect to be fraudulent, the best practice is to contact the entity making the request via a phone number or email address you know is legitimate. Instead of using the email or phone number in the suspicious message, look up the correct contact information personally and use it to report the message.
If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from the Jefferson County Planning and Development Department, please call (920) 674-7130.
For more about Jefferson County, including contact information for all departments:
https://cms4.revize.com/revize/jeffersoncountywi25/
