City Warns of Permit Impersonation Scams

Greeley officials are alerting permit applicants to fraudulent emails that impersonate city planning staff and demand payment.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in City Hall

Isometric editorial illustration of blank manila folders beside an open brass padlock on a plain wooden desk, evoking a permit payment scam. — Greeley officials warned permit applicants this week about scammers posing as city planning staff and demanding immediate payment by wire transfer, payment app, or cryptocurrency. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Would you know how to verify an unexpected government permit invoice before paying it?

The City of Greeley issued a warning about impersonation scams targeting people applying for permits or seeking development approval. The alert follows a December 2025 warning about fake invoices and threatened fines, and a March 2026 FBI notice describing a nationwide scheme of criminals posing as city and county planning officials.

Why it matters

Scammers use publicly available permit information, including property addresses, application numbers and staff names, to make fraudulent messages look legitimate. Residents and developers in Greeley who are waiting on approvals may be pressured to pay quickly and could lose money.

The city states that legitimate permit correspondence comes from @greeleygov.com addresses and that it does not request wire transfers for permit fees. The number of affected applicants in Greeley has not been reported.

The players

City of Greeley

The city government of Greeley, Colorado, which administers local permitting and development approvals and issued the scam warning.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

The United States federal law enforcement agency that issued a March 2026 nationwide warning about criminals impersonating city and county planning officials.

The details

Scammers may attach invoices for supposed permit fees and ask recipients to pay by wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment service or cryptocurrency. Some messages threaten project delays unless payment is made immediately, and they may include real property addresses, application numbers and names of government employees.

December 2025: Greeley officials warned of fake invoices and threatened fines.
March 2026: The FBI issued a nationwide warning about impersonation of city and county planning officials.
Nov. 10, 2026: Greeley issued its latest permit impersonation scam warning.

City Hall

Greeley's alert applies the FBI's March 2026 nationwide warning about impersonation of city and county planning officials to the city's own permit process, extending a pattern of local governments warning applicants about fake invoices that began with its December 2025 notice.

Permit applicants should verify any payment request by confirming the sender uses an @greeleygov.com address before paying. The city says it does not request wire transfers for permit fees, so any such request should be treated as suspicious.

The takeaway

A payment request that demands immediate wire transfer or cryptocurrency for a permit fee is a warning sign, because the city does not request payment that way. Checking the sender address before paying is the simplest protection for anyone with a pending Greeley application.