YAKIMA, Wash. — The City of Yakima is alerting residents and local businesses to a surge in fraudulent emails targeting people involved in planning and permitting work.
City officials say the scam messages are designed to look like they’re from staff in the Community Development Department or Planning Division, but they are fake. The emails often request wire transfers or payments on bogus invoices.
What the City Says
According to the City, the scam is part of a nationwide trend in which criminals impersonate government agencies to trick people into sending money or revealing sensitive information.
The City emphasizes that:
- The Community Development Department and Planning Division do not send unsolicited emails requesting sensitive personal or financial details.
- Legitimate payments for planning or permitting are accepted only through the City’s official online portal or in person at Yakima City Hall.
Payments should be made through the City’s website here:
https://www.yakimawa.gov/services/codes/permits/
No Data Breach
Officials also stressed that there was no breach of City computer systems. Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler said the scammers appear to have gathered information from publicly available sources, such as the City’s permitting portal, but no confidential or private data was compromised.
How to Protect Yourself
City leaders are urging anyone who receives a suspicious or unexpected email claiming to be from Yakima’s planning or permitting staff to:
- Do not respond to the email
- Do not send payment or personal information
- Check that legitimate City email addresses end in “yakimawa.gov”
If you’re unsure whether an email is real, you can verify it by contacting the Community Development Department at 509‑575‑6126 or by visiting Yakima City Hall in person.
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