Fraudulent Nationwide Planning & Zoning Permit Fee Scam 

Earlier this year, the FBI issued a public warning about criminals impersonating city and county planning and zoning officials to solicit fraudulent payments for land-use and building permits. Evanston has recently received multiple reports of this exact scheme, and victims have been identified nationwide.

The City of Evanston will never ask you to pay permit fees by wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift card, or peer-to-peer app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App), and will never request your credit card information by email.

How the Scam Works

Criminals target individuals and businesses with active permit or zoning applications,  including projects going through Evanston's Community Development Department or scheduled for a Land Use Commission hearing (held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month). Because permit applications and hearing schedules are public information, scammers can pull real details and use them to make their emails look legitimate.

Victims receive an unsolicited email that:

• Cites accurate details specific to their case: property address, permit or zoning case number, and the real name and signature of an Evanston or Cook County official. Or sometimes from the Land Use Commission.
• Uses professional formatting, city seals/letterhead, and language referencing real processes (Zoning Ordinance Title 6, Land Use Commission review, variances, special use permits, etc.).
• Comes from an email address that looks similar to an official Evanston or Cook County domain, but is not actually @cityofevanston.org or a county government domain.
• Is timed to arrive while the applicant is in active back-and-forth with the City about their permit, making it feel expected.
• Includes a PDF invoice itemizing "fees" and instructs the recipient to request payment instructions by email only, specifically to discourage a phone call for verification.
• Pressures the recipient with urgency: threats that the permit, hearing, or approval will be delayed or denied unless payment is made immediately.

How to Protect Yourself

• Don't trust the look of it. Seals, official names, and correct spelling/grammar are not proof of legitimacy; scammers copy these convincingly. For tips on how to protect yourself against cyberattacks, visit ready.gov/cybersecurity.
• Check the actual sender domain, not just the display name. Look for extra characters, misspellings, or a domain that isn't the City's or County's own.
• Verify legitimacy and make a report:
  
  • Contact the City staff member that you have been working with to process your application (usually a city planner), email zoning@cityofevanston.org, or call 847-448-4311 to determine legitimacy.
  • If you have determined that the correspondence is illegitimate or a scam, please call the Evanston Police Department (24/7)  non-emergency line: 847-866-5000 to make a report. 
• Remember the payment-method red flag: legitimate Evanston fees are not collected via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or P2P apps.

City Response: If You Think You've Been Targeted or Scammed

1. Do not click links, open attachments, or reply to the email.
2. Call Evanston Police non-emergency at 847-866-5000 to report it locally.
3. File a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, including:
   • The sender's email address, the date of the email, and any phone number provided
   • Your project's scheduled hearing date, if applicable
   • The amount on the fraudulent invoice, the payment method requested, and any bank/wallet account info provided
4. If you have already sent payment, also contact your bank, card issuer, or the crypto/payment platform immediately. The sooner it's reported, the better the chance of recovery.