The FBI Warned About Fake Permit Fees. The Harder Question Is Where the Money Goes. | Recorded Future
Brief
A fast-growing scam impersonates city and county planning departments, sending property owners real-looking invoices for fake permit fees and pressuring them to wire payment on a deadline. Because the victim authorizes the transfer, payments commonly clear the behavioral checks built to catch fraud, making beneficiary accounts one of the most reliable signals to track this campaign.
Research from CYBERA, the partner behind Recorded Future® Money Mule Intelligence, maps a single active ring down to the verified accounts it used, and shows why direct, fraudster engagement and account-level intelligence catches what scoring misses.
The FBI sounded the alarm. Issuers still can't see it
On March 9, 2026, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center issued a public alert about criminals impersonating city and county officials to collect fraudulent planning and zoning permit fees.