McHenry Co. Warns Of Scam Emails Targeting Permit Applicants

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry County is warning residents about fraudulent emails impersonating the county's planning and development department and targeting people who have submitted zoning or permit requests.

The scam emails use real case information obtained from the county's online meeting broadcasts to make the messages appear legitimate, according to county officials. The emails, sent from planning-dept-mchenrycountyil.gov@mail.com, falsely tell recipients their permit has been approved and encourage them to open an attached invoice and respond by email for wire-transfer instructions.

McHenry County officials said residents who receive an email from an address ending in @mail.com should delete it immediately and mark it as spam, according to the news release county.

Opening attachments or clicking links in fraudulent emails also could expose computers or networks to malware, viruses or ransomware, officials warned. All official McHenry County government emails use the @mchenrycountyil.gov domain. Planning and Development officials also said they will never ask permit applicants to make a wire transfer.

Residents who are obtaining, updating or paying for a McHenry County permit should use the county's official online portal.

Anyone who receives a questionable e-mail from the Planning and Development Department can verify whether it is legitimate by calling 815-334-4560 or emailing plandev@mchenrycountyil.gov.