Dane County released a public alert regarding a scam that targets individuals with pending zoning and land use applications before the county’s Zoning and Land Regulation (ZLR) Committee.
Last week, several applicants and agents listed on the June 10 ZLR Committee agenda received fraudulent emails claiming to be from the Dane County Planning Commission. The scam emails came from an unofficial address — planning.danecounty@usa.com — and included fake invoices that appeared to request payment.
Applicants listed on that meeting were immediately contacted and made aware of the scam. While there is currently no indication that applicants from previous meetings or other pending petitions were targeted, individuals on the upcoming June 24 ZLR Committee agenda have also been preemptively notified.
The county’s IT Department has reported the scam to the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center, and a takedown notice is being initiated to disrupt the source of the fake emails.
Dane County reminded residents that official correspondence from the county will always come from an email ending in @danecounty.gov. Anyone who receives a suspicious message related to a zoning or permit application is cautioned not to respond or make any payments, and to delete the email immediately.
