County planning warns applicants: do not wire payments; use the online permit portal
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Summary
Maricopa County Planning and Development staff warned the public about AI/bot email fraud and said the department accepts payment only through the online permit center portal; the county will not request wire transfers.
Maricopa County Planning and Development staff warned meeting attendees on Sept. 25 about fraudulent emails and attempts to solicit payment by wire transfer. The department said it will accept application payments only through the online permit‑center portal and that it does not accept wire transfers.
A planning staff member told the Planning and Zoning Commission the county is seeing fraud in which artificial‑intelligence tools and bots generate emails purporting to be from planning staff and asking applicants to send wire transfers. Staff said these fraudulent requests will not come from the county and that applicants should not send wires in response to emails.
The county said it is placing warnings on its website and in application packets and will send customized emails to recent applicants reminding them of the payment policy. A staff speaker emphasized that payments must be made through the permit center in the online portal and that the county will not contact applicants seeking wire transfers.
The commission adjourned after the announcement.