Paso Robles officials issued a warning on Wednesday, alerting community members of scam invoice emails claiming to be from the City's Planning and Community Development Department.
What to Look Out For
- Messages coming from planning.prcity@usa.com, Planning-Dpt.cityofelpasoderoblesca@usa.com, or similar email addresses
- References to real property addresses and projects
- Scammers are reportedly pulling from publicly available information
- Fake invoice PDF attachments for various fees
- Instructions asking you to reply with a request for invoice settlement advice, and to return a signed invoice and payment receipt via email
- False claims that payment is required to proceed with the application and public hearing process
How to Respond if You Receive a Scam Email
- Do not reply, click links, or send payment
- Verify sender addresses carefully
- Note: Official City emails end in @prcity.com, not @usa.com.
- Contact the City directly using the verified phone numbers or email addresses listed below
- Building Division: (805)-237-3850, building@prcity.com
- Planning Division: (805)-237-3970, planning@prcity.com
- Engineering Division: (805)-237-3860, engineering@prcity.com
The City of Paso Robles says it will never ask you to wire or transfer money under any circumstances.
For secure transactions and services, always use Paso Permits (Accela).
The City asks that you stay vigilant and share this information to help protect other community members.
