McMinnville, OR – Yamhill County officials are alerting residents to a phishing scam involving fake emails and invoices falsely claiming to come from the county’s Planning Department. Authorities say the messages demand payment for planning or zoning fees that do not exist.
According to Yamhill County’s announcement, at least one resident recently received a fraudulent email appearing to contain an invoice from the “Yamhill County Planning Commission.” The document listed bogus charges, including an “Application Review Fee” and “Zoning & Compliance Assessment,” totaling nearly $4,900. Officials emphasize that the email is not legitimate.
The county explained several warning signs that can help residents spot scams: urgent payment requests, instructions to reply only by email, typos or references to out-of-area properties, and unexpected attachments. The example message reportedly mentioned a Washington address—outside Yamhill County’s jurisdiction.
Residents who receive suspicious emails are urged not to open attachments or send payments. Instead, they should contact Yamhill County directly through verified phone numbers or report phishing attempts to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) via their website.
County officials reiterated that legitimate county business will not require prepayment via email.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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