Home Construction Permit Fee Scams Target Homeowners

NH Banking News & Announcements

Published March 27th, 2026

Detected March 28th, 2026

Summary

The New Hampshire Security Team issued a scam alert regarding fraudulent emails targeting homeowners undertaking construction projects. The emails falsely demand immediate payment for permit fees via wire transfer, payment apps, or cryptocurrency, aiming to defraud recipients.

View original document View source feed page

What changed

The State of New Hampshire Security Team has issued a warning about a phishing scam targeting homeowners involved in construction projects. Scammers are sending emails that appear to be from legitimate government agencies, demanding immediate payment for construction permit fees through wire transfers, payment apps (Venmo, Zelle), or cryptocurrency. These emails often include personal information such as home addresses and case numbers to appear credible, but the demand for payment is fraudulent.

Consumers and construction firms should be aware that legitimate government agencies will not demand immediate payment via cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or payment apps. Recipients of unexpected invoices or payment demands should verify the legitimacy of the fees by contacting the relevant agency directly using official contact information found on their website, rather than using any contact details provided in the suspicious email. Failure to validate these requests could result in financial loss to scammers.

What to do next

Verify all unexpected invoices or payment demands from government agencies by contacting the agency directly using official contact information.
Do not make payments for permit fees via cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or payment apps if requested via email.
Be cautious of emails that appear official but demand immediate payment.

Source document (simplified)

Home
NH Security Team Scam of the Week: Home construction permit fee scams

Announcement For Immediate Release Posted: March 27, 2026

Contact Ian Clark, Public Information Officer
(603) 271-4865 | ian.m.clark@banking.nh.gov

NH Security Team Scam of the Week: Home construction permit fee scams

"Scam of the Week" from the State of New Hampshire Security Team at the Department of Information Technology:

This week’s scam targets people who are working on home construction projects. You receive an email that claims you must pay a permit fee immediately to avoid delays with your project. The email looks real and may even include a case number or your home address. It instructs you to pay the permit fee immediately via wire transfer, payment apps such as Venmo or Zelle, or cryptocurrency.
But you don’t actually owe any money, because this email is a scam! Scammers use public information, like your address and the names of local officials, to make their fake emails look real. Because the email arrives while you are working on a real home project, it is easy to think it is legitimate. If you follow the payment instructions, you are giving your money directly to the scammers!

Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to this phishing scam:

Don’t assume that an email is real just because it looks official. Scammers can use publicly available information to make their phishing emails even more convincing.
Legitimate government agencies will never demand immediate payment through cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or payment apps.
If you receive an unexpected invoice from what appears to be the city or county government, do not use the contact information in the email. Instead, call the agency using the official phone number listed on their website to verify any fees.