Scammers are impersonating the Town of Lexington in emails that demand permit applicants pay bogus invoices, the town's Land Use, Housing, and Development Department warned Monday, July 20.
The fraudulent messages target people with applications pending before the Planning Board, Historic Districts Commission, and Conservation Commission, according to the town's civic alert. The emails claim outstanding invoices must be settled for application approvals.
The department said the scam is ongoing. The alert described the emails as "continuing to be received," signaling the scheme was already underway before the town went public with its warning.
How to spot a fake
The town said legitimate payment requests for permitting fees will only ever come from one email address: [email protected], the town's OpenGov vendor. Any payment demand from a different address is fraudulent.
One detail makes certain scam emails especially obvious: the Historic Districts Commission does not charge application fees for formal hearings, according to the commission's own website. Any email requesting payment for an HDC application is a red flag by definition.
What to do
The department's instructions are blunt: do not click any links, do not respond, and delete the email immediately.
The only two legitimate ways to pay for a Lexington permit are by check made out to the town or through the OpenGov Public Portal, where applicants already have accounts. The "Pay Online" link in a real notification directs users to their existing OpenGov dashboard.
A pattern of fraud targeting Lexington residents
The email scheme is not the first digital scam to target the town. In December 2024, the Lexington Police Department warned residents on X about a separate phishing scam conducted via text message. And in September 2024, Lexington Observer reporter Maggie Scales reported at the time that check-washing fraud had surged in Lexington, with residents nearly losing $700,000 to fraudsters that year.
The town has not said how many people received the fraudulent permit emails, whether anyone lost money, or whether Lexington Police are investigating.
Residents with questions about legitimate permit payments can call the Land Use, Housing, and Development Department at 781-698-4500.
