Scam Alert: Beware of Fraudulent County Planning and Zoning Emails

Posted July 20, 2026
Posted by Planning and Development and Public Relations

Pottawattamie County is reminding residents and businesses to remain vigilant after federal authorities issued an updated warning about an ongoing nationwide scam involving fraudulent planning and zoning emails.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Center for Internet Security (CIS), scammers continue to impersonate county and local planning and zoning departments in an attempt to trick recipients into paying fake application, permit, or zoning-related fees. The scam has been reported in communities across the United States and has evolved since it was first identified in late 2025.

The fraudulent emails often appear legitimate and may include publicly available information about a development project, business, or property to make the message seem authentic. Many also include an attached invoice requesting payment by wire transfer.

How to Recognize the Scam

Common warning signs include:

• Emails requesting immediate payment for planning, zoning, permit, or application fees.
• Sender email addresses ending in @usa.com or other unofficial domains rather than an official government email address.
• Attached invoices that appear to come from a local government agency but request payment through wire transfer.
• Emails claiming payment is required before an application or permit can move forward. 

Pottawattamie County will never request payments in this way and encourages residents and businesses to carefully verify any unexpected emails related to permits, zoning, planning, or development applications.

Official Pottawattamie County correspondence is sent from @pottcounty-ia.gov email addresses. If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from Pottawattamie County, do not reply, click links, open attachments, or send payment.

Instead, contact the appropriate County department directly using the contact information listed on the County website to verify whether the communication is legitimate.

If you receive a suspicious email

If you believe you have received one of these fraudulent emails:

• Do not send payment.
• Do not reply to the email.
• Do not click links or open unexpected attachments.
• Report the incident to your local law enforcement agency or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

Pottawattamie County will continue working with federal and state partners to help keep residents informed about scams targeting our community.