Email scam is targeting builders and contractors who work with Community Planning and Permitting

Boulder County, Colo. - Reports are increasing of localized scams spreading across the Front Range of Colorado. In Boulder County, one such email scam is targeting builders and contractors who work closely with the Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting Department.

A recent scam starts with an email claiming to be from "Boulder County Code Enforcement" with the subject “ACTION REQUIRED: Code Violation - G012871322026.” The scammer will not provide any specific information about the situation and urge the builder or contractor to click on a link.

The scammer may also send a follow up email asking "Would you please confirm whether you received my last email or not? Please let me know so that I can update you further as these messages can easily get lost in a busy inbox."

The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office – Community Protection and the Boulder County Cybersecurity Program actively responds and strives to protect and inform everyone in Boulder County, including local businesses, of potential scams. Please be cautious when checking text messages and emails that claim to be from the government. To prevent becoming a victim of an email scam:

• Check the email address. All Boulder County employees and volunteers have an email address which includes “bouldercounty.gov” or “bouldercounty.org”.
• Suspicious links. As a precaution, it is urged to never immediately click on links embedded in an email until you are certain it comes from a genuine source.
• Ask the sender questions. If an email is being sent by a Boulder County employee, there will be a purpose to that email which the employee can share information about. If the sender of the email does not provide details this may be a red flag that the email is a scam.
• Strange sentence structure. When reading an email, check for mistakes, grammar errors, or strange wording. This may be a red flag that the email is a scam.
• Urgent language. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to prompt quick action without thinking, such as "Your account will be suspended" or "Code Enforcement Violation."
• Requests of information. Boulder County government will never ask builders or contractors their password for the online permitting and planning system.

If you are unsure that a text message, email, letter, or phone call from Boulder County is a scam, you can contact the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office – Community Protection Division at 303-441-3700 or email dacpd@bouldercounty.gov.

Boulder County wants to ensure that everyone has equal access to our programs, activities, and services. To request an Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accommodation, please email ada@bouldercounty.gov, or call 303-441-1386. If you need help in another language, please email cppfrontdesk@bouldercounty.gov or call 303-441-3930.