Olmsted County warns of scam emails targeting permit applicants

Olmsted County has received reports of fraudulent emails being sent to residents, contractors, and businesses regarding planning and zoning activity. These messages are not from Olmsted County, even though they may reference real projects or appear connected to legitimate permits or development application workflows.

This activity aligns with a nationwide phishing scheme recently shared by the FBI. 

In recent incidents, individuals have received messages claiming to relate to development application reviews, updates, or approvals. The sender address often mimics an official government account but is actually being sent from non‑government domains such as “@usa.com.” In several cases, scammers have also signed emails using the names of real Olmsted County employees to create the appearance of legitimacy. The Olmsted County Information Technology Solutions (ITS) department believes scammers may be pulling project details from publicly accessible information, including meeting agendas posted on PrimeGov our public meeting portal.

To help protect yourself:

• Treat unexpected messages about permits or applications with caution, especially if you were not anticipating an update.
• Check the sender’s email domain. Official Olmsted County staff will communicate using government-issued addresses ending with @olmstedcounty.gov, never from free domains like “USA.com” or similar.
• Do not open attachments, click links, or respond to suspicious emails requesting payment or personal information.
• If you believe you have received a fraudulent message, notify the Olmsted County Planning department.

If you have questions about permit application status, contact the Olmsted County Planning department at planningweb@olmstedcounty.gov.