WEAVERVILLE, Calif. – Trinity County Officials are warning residents about scam emails impersonating planning commission members and county staff to collect fake fees.
Officials say the fraudulent emails falsely claim recipients owe outstanding balances related to planning, zoning or permitting and demand immediate payment and would like to remind the public that Trinity County does not send unsolicited email requests demanding immediate online payment for unexpected fees.
If a resident owes a legitimate fee to the county, they will have engaged in prior official correspondence and should already be aware of the bill and the standard payment processes.
County officials say residents should watch for key red flags including suspicious sender addresses that don’t end in the official county domain like @trinitycounty.org as scammers often use free email services like Gmail or Yahoo or use slightly misspelled domains to trick recipients. Widespread typos, awkward phrasing, strange capitalization or poor formatting, authorities say, are strong indicators of a scam.
Fraudsters often try to create a false sense of panic, threatening immediate fines, legal action or project cancellations if payment is not made right away.
Residents should be highly suspicious of any request asking for payment via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards or direct peer-to-peer cash apps.
Officials say if you receive a suspicious email, do not pay anything, do not click on any links and do not open any attachments and you should immediately contact an actual Trinity County staff member to confirm the validity of any bill.
If you believe you have received one of these scam emails, contact the Trinity County Community Development Department directly at (530) 623-1351.
