La Grande Warns Residents of Fraudulent Website Impersonating City Hall

Someone in La Grande has already called the Building Department about an order they never placed with the city. That contact, which city officials confirmed in a public warning issued Thursday, is the clearest sign yet that a fraudulent website impersonating City Hall has found victims inside Union County.

The fake site copied La Grande's actual civic address and phone number to project an air of authority, then positioned itself to intercept residents seeking city services. Officials have not disclosed whether money changed hands, but the impersonating site generated enough confusion to send community members directly to the Building Department with questions about purchases and orders that have no connection to city operations.

"The City of La Grande does not sell products online," the city stated in its official release. "We will never ask for payments or transactions through unofficial websites. If something seems unusual, please pause and verify before taking action."

Anyone with an active permit application, a pending land-use matter, or a recent invoice tied to city services should confirm every detail through City Hall staff in person at 1000 Adams Ave., through an official city email address, or through the city's legitimate website, cityoflagrande.org, before sending money or entering any personal information. No legitimate city transaction will route through a third-party site.

The city is actively working to identify the fraudulent URL and report it for takedown, but officials cautioned the threat remains live in the interim. Residents who already submitted payment or personal data should report it to City Hall immediately, then file a complaint with La Grande Police or the Union County Sheriff's Office. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center also accepts reports and asks complainants to include the scam site's address, the dollar amount listed on any invoice, the date of contact, and any account or payment details that were provided.

La Grande's warning arrived weeks after the FBI flagged a nationwide surge in the same scheme. Criminals are harvesting publicly available permit records, including zoning application numbers and property addresses, to craft believable payment requests. Those requests are typically routed through wire transfers, peer-to-peer apps, or cryptocurrency, all of which offer victims little recourse once a payment clears.

Contractors pulling building permits and homeowners navigating land-use approvals are the highest-risk group in Union County right now. Any emailed invoice or payment link that arrives outside of a confirmed conversation with City Hall staff should be treated as fraudulent until a real employee verifies it.