HAGERSTOWN, MD (April 25, 2025) – Washington County Government is alerting residents and applicants of the Department of Planning and Zoning to a recent scam involving fraudulent emails impersonating County officials and requesting wire payments for planning application fees.
These emails falsely request payment via wire transfer and contain misleading information meant to resemble official County correspondence.
No data breach has occurred. The emails appear to stem from the use of publicly available information obtained from the County’s website.
The County reminds residents:
- Official County emails come from the “@washco-md.net” domain.
- No department within Washington County Government—including the Department of Planning and Zoning—accepts wire transfers as a method of payment or conducts financial transactions via unofficial third-party email domains.
- All correspondence should be directed to the official department email: [email protected].
If you receive a suspicious email:
- Do not respond or click on any links.
- Report it immediately to the County at [email protected].
- When in doubt, call the department directly to verify communication.
The County’s Information Technology Department is monitoring the situation and taking appropriate steps to ensure systems remain secure.
For additional information, please contact Washington County’s Public Relations and Marketing Department at 240-313-2380 or [email protected].
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