Public Notice Phishing

Phishing Scam Falsely Using County of San Diego Logo

The County of San Diego is aware that a small number of our customers have reported receiving phishing emails that falsely claim to be from the County of San Diego’s Planning and Development Services (PDS). These emails misuse the County logo and publicly available information to appear legitimate. We understand the concern this may cause and want to assure our community that we are actively responding.

Phishing is a common type of cyberattack where criminals attempt to obtain sensitive information or money by impersonating trusted organizations. These fraudulent emails may imitate official communication, display the County logo without authorization, and encourage recipients to click malicious links and attachments or provide personal or financial information. The use of our logo for criminal purposes constitutes digital identity theft, trademark infringement, and fraud.

These emails were not sent by the County of San Diego. We urge customers not to respond, click links, open attachments, or provide any sensitive information. We are coordinating with law enforcement authorities to halt this unauthorized use of our identity and to support efforts to investigate and mitigate this criminal activity.

If you believe you have received one of these phishing messages, you should report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). If you have already paid money or provided financial information, immediately contact your financial institution to request a stop payment or other protective measures.

To help the public identify potential phishing attempts, here are common warning signs to look for:

• Suspicious or unfamiliar sender addresses that imitate official agencies
• Messages that demand urgent action
• Generic greetings or signatures, and missing or inconsistent contact information
• Hyperlinks that do not match the web address shown when hovering over them
• Spelling errors, poor grammar, or unusual formatting
• Unexpected attachments or requests to download files
• Use of publicly available information to appear legitimate

If you receive an email claiming to be from PDS and want to verify its authenticity, please contact us directly at:

• Interactive Phone Directory: (858) 694‑2960
• Toll‑Free: (800) 411‑0017
• PDS Customer Support: Available at our official website

“The County of San Diego remains committed to protecting its customers, safeguarding public information, and providing guidance to anyone who may have been targeted by this scam.”