HCSO warns community about email scam targeting Humboldt County applicants

The Humboldt County Planning & Building Department has recently received several reports of an email scam targeting our community. 

In this scam fraudulent emails claim to be from the Humboldt County Planning Commission and may identify as a current and/or former employee. The scammer tells the victim that they have reviewed and approved their permit application and an “application approval fee” is required before approval can be finalized.

The email appears to mine information from publicly accessible documents such as agendas and related application documents and uses that information to include very specific details about the applicant’s project into the message. It also includes instructions on how to wire funds to settle the account.

The County of Humboldt does not charge or require an “application approval fee.” would like the community to know that this is a scam. While departments such as Planning & Building may contact you regarding an application or legitimate past amounts due, the county 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 a pending permit application, please call the 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.