Plymouth warns of zoning board scam emails

The Town of Plymouth announced Oct. 20 that scammers are sending fraudulent emails to Zoning Board of Appeals applicants in an attempt to collect money.

According to the town, the emails appear on Zoning Board of Appeals letterhead and include a town employee email signature, instructing recipients to wire funds to cover application fees. Town officials said this is a scam designed to prompt fund transfers from community members and businesses, and said the town will never request payment through a wire transfer.

The town asked anyone who receives an invoice resembling the scam not to provide information or send funds to any address listed in the message. Residents who suspect a fraudulent email should contact the town department named in the notice using a known, official phone number, or visit Town Hall to confirm it is legitimate. The town also advised checking the sender's email address, since legitimate messages from town employees come from addresses formatted as firstinitiallastname@plymouth-ma.gov. Officials noted that payments to the town are made only through its secure portal or in person.

Anyone who receives an invoice that appears to come from the Town of Plymouth was asked to call the Town of Plymouth IT Help Desk at 508-747-1620 ext. 10411. The town cautioned that scammers are becoming more convincing and may use real names, addresses, departments and realistic-looking documents to appear authentic.

Source: Town of Plymouth announcement, October 20, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.