Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Planning & Building Department and Division of Environmental Health have received new reports of another email scam targeting the community.

In this scam fraudulent emails claim to be from a false “Executive Director of Humboldt County Planning & Building Department Administration.” The scammer tells the victim that they have reviewed their well permit project application and instructs the applicant to reply to the scam email to “request settlement instructions and fee confirmation for their application invoice” and that a “standard default application fee of $5,960 must be settled prior to final permit issuance.”

The county’s Information Technology Security team has confirmed Humboldt County’s system has not been hacked. The scammers appear to be using information gathered from publicly available information posted to the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation’s State Clearing House website.

The County of Humboldt wants the public to know that the Planning & Building Department and the Division of Environmental Health do not require a permit applicant to pay a “standard default application fee of $5,960” and would like the community to know that this is a scam.

While the Planning & Building Department may contact you regarding an application or legitimate past due permit fees, the County of Humboldt will never ask you to:

  • Mail large sums of cash
  • Wire funds to a private account
  • Use a credit card over the phone, or
  • Pay with gift cards or pre-paid money card

If you have any questions about the status of your pending permit application or past due fees, please call the Humboldt County Planning & Building Department at 707-445-7541.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who believes they may have been targeted or have been a victim of this type of fraudulent activity to report the incident immediately by calling 707-445-7251.

Please remember these tips to help protect yourself from fraud:

  • Spot imposters. Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity or a company you do business with. Do not send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request, whether it comes as a text, a phone call or an email. Do not open attachments in emails from unknown sources.
  • Do online research. Type a company or product name into your favorite search engine with words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search for a phrase that describes your situation, like “application review and approval fee” or “well permit scam.” You can even search for phone numbers and email addresses to see if other people have reported them as scams.
  • Don’t believe the name in an email or your caller ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake email account names and caller ID information, so the name and number you see are not always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If someone emails you asking for you to take action, do not click links in the email or open attachments. If you think the person contacting you might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is genuine. Contact information for the Planning & Building Department can be found online at HumboldtGov.org/Planning-Building.
  • Talk to someone. Before you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might even threaten you. Slow down, check out the story, do an online search, consult an expert or just tell a friend. If you have applied for a county permit, contact the Planning & Building Department at 707-445-7541 and ask questions.
  • Do not rely on personal information. Living in the digital age, access to information is easier than ever. Scammers are often able to get their hands on very personal information, providing it to their victims to make their scam look more legitimate. Do not trust a scammer who is able to provide your personal information. If you followed the above tips and still are not sure, call back at a publicly listed number for the organization from which the scammer claims to be, or contact a loved one directly for assistance.

Stay Informed

Sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s scam alerts and visit USA.gov/Where-Report-Scams to learn how to report scams.

To learn more about some of the common scams reported to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, please visit HumboldtGov.org/ScamInfo .