ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Bernalillo County officials are sounding the alarm about an email scam going around targeting people who have a planning and zoning request in with the county.

“We believe that scammers are getting ahold of our zoning agendas online and reaching out. There could be as many as 30 customers impacted since January and we may not have heard from them,” said Elvira Lopez, the Bernalillo County Planning Manager.

Once the scammers get their information, they are emailing people fake invoices, asking them to wire anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000 to approve their request.

“They are very savvy, they are forging our county seal, they are forging signatures, and they are giving out fraudulent invoices to our customers so we are very concerned that folks may fall prey to these scams,” Lopez said.

Despite how legitimate it looks at first glance, Lopez said there are ways to sniff out the scam. For one, they never ask people to wire money, and they only accept money in person at Alvarado Square.

“The only way we receive payments are at the front counter or at ‘bernco.gov.’ and most of these customers have already made their payments and we have already collected their fees, so these folks are being contacted after the fact and of course through their private emails,” Lopez said.

The county is proactively contacting people about the scam in hopes to warn them before any money is transferred.

“We have made our Sheriff’s office aware of what is happening, they are aware, and we are in communication with them. In addition, our planning department has taken measures to get the word out to customers,” Lopez said.

If you’ve gotten this email and have any questions the county is asking you to reach out to them at 505-468-7777. If you transferred any money, you are asked to contact the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.