Newburgh warns residents about fraudulent planning board fee emails
Fraud emails posing as Newburgh planning and zoning boards are demanding wire payments, and officials say residents should verify every fee by phone first.
Newburgh officials have warned residents about fraudulent emails that pose as the town’s Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals and try to push victims into wiring money for fake fees. The town said it would never ask for payment through an unsolicited email or wire transfer, a warning that lands squarely in the middle of everyday land-use work where permit filings, hearings and board fees already create enough confusion.
The scam matches a phishing campaign the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center warned about on March 9, 2026. Federal investigators said criminals were impersonating city and county officials in emails sent to people with active planning and zoning matters, using publicly available permit details such as property addresses, zoning application numbers and real officials’ names to make the messages look legitimate. The fake invoices then steered victims toward wire transfers, peer-to-peer payment or cryptocurrency.
New York municipal guidance says the scam has reached the state and can be aggressive, with fake invoices often demanding $4,000 to $5,000. Officials have also warned that scammers may use @usa.com email addresses and stolen municipal logos, details that can make a message look official to a resident who is already expecting back-and-forth communication over a permit, escrow deposit or board filing.
In Newburgh, the town’s own website lists Planning Board and Zoning Board meetings on its calendar, and the Planning Board page gives residents a direct way to verify fees before sending money. The board office is listed at 21 Hudson Valley Professional Plaza, Newburgh, NY 12550, with the phone number (845) 564-7804. The town also offers online payment options for some municipal services, which can make a fake payment demand seem plausible if someone does not stop to check it first.
Town agenda documents dated April 2, 2026 and April 16, 2026 both said the emails were not legitimate and were not sent by the Town Board, Zoning Board or Planning Board. The town told residents not to open links, reply to the messages or submit any payment or wire transfer. For anyone dealing with a permit, subdivision, site plan or zoning issue in Newburgh, the safest move is to call the town using the phone number posted on its official website before any money changes hands.
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