A recent phishing scam has targeted individuals who have interacted with the City of Raleigh, specifically those involved with the Planning and Development Department. The fraudulent emails are designed to appear as if they come from city officials and request payment from recipients.
According to the City of Raleigh, these messages aim to deceive people into clicking on harmful links or sharing personal and financial information. “Do not reply or click on any links. Do not open any attachments. Report the email as spam or phishing and/or delete the email immediately,” city officials advised.
The city outlined several ways to identify phishing attempts. One key sign is the sender’s email address; official communications from the Permit and Development Portal will end in @raleighnc.gov, while a recent scam used raleighnc.gov@usa.com, which is not affiliated with the city. Other warning signs include urgent or threatening language intended to pressure recipients into quick action, mismatched URLs when hovering over links, and requests for sensitive data such as Social Security numbers or bank account details.
“The City of Raleigh will never ask for your Social Security Number, bank account information, or passwords by email,” according to city guidance.
For those unsure about outstanding invoices, residents are encouraged to use the City’s official Permit and Development Portal or contact the Customer Service Center at 919-996-2500.
