The City of Bellingham and Whatcom County Planning and Development Services (PDS) are warning the public of fraudulent permit-related communications.
On April 22, 2026, Whatcom County Planning and Development Services (PDS) issued an alert regarding fraudulent invoices using Whatcom County logos. Reports indicate scammers are pulling permit data to impersonate county staff in communications with applicants.
Whatcom County PDS officials stated that legitimate emails from staff originate from @co.whatcom.wa.us addresses. Communications from the county permitting system are sent from noreply@eplmail.tylerapp.com. The department does not request permit fee payments via wire transfer.
The City of Bellingham also issued a warning stating that official permit fees are only payable through its ePermits portal or in person at the Permit Center. City officials do not request payments via telephone, text message, or third-party wire transfers.
Users are advised to avoid following hyperlinks in suspicious emails and instead log in to the official permit portals to check permit status and pay fees.
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