Email scammers targeted local developers with requests for payment from the Boston Planning Department, prompting the agency to issue an alert about the online scam.
The emails sought wire transfers of “substantial sums” for project-related fees. At least one developer fell for the scam, Boston Planning Department spokeswoman Brittany Comak said.
The phishing scam used the fraudulent email address planningzoningqs.boston.gov@usa.com and claimed to originate from Chief of Planning Kairos Shen.
Authentic emails from the agency use the @boston.gov domain, and the department does not request payment via wire transfers.
As a precaution, the department urged developers suspicious of the authenticity of an email to contact the department directly at its planningcomms@boston.gov address to verify.