The FBI is warning the public about a phishing scheme by criminals impersonating city and county officials to solicit fraudulent payments for planning and zoning permits.
The scammers use publicly available permit information to identify potential victims and make the requests appear legitimate. Victims of this scam have been reported nationwide.
* Do not assume letters or emails are legitimate based on the use of city letterhead, seals, or the names of our public officials.
* Verify the email address, including the domain name, matches the email address of the official with whom you are corresponding and does not contain extraneous characters or misspellings.
If you receive a letter, phone call, or email regarding a planning or zoning permit that claims to be from the City of Sparks and you have questions about its legitimacy, call (775) 353-1648.
You can also file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
