City of Shoreline warns residents of invoice scam

The City of Shoreline is alerting community members to a recent scam in which individuals are receiving fraudulent emails that appear to come from the City’s Planning Commission. The emails claim that recipients have an outstanding invoice that they must pay by wire transfer. The emails and invoices are both fraudulent.

Please note: The City of Shoreline will never ask you to make payment by wire transfer. Permit payments are only accepted through our eTRAKiT Permit Portal; when you call us to make a payment by phone; or in person with a credit card or check.

We do not and will not call, email, or text you and ask for confidential personal or financial information.

Scammers are using publicly available information and AI‑generated content to create convincing documents that resemble official City correspondence. This type of scam is occurring across the country.

Scammers are targeting community members who submit public comments to the Planning Commission. There is no charge, ever, for submitting public comments to the Planning Commission.

If you receive an invoice or communication that does not seem right or raises questions, please do not make any payment. Instead, contact the City of Shoreline Planning and Community Development Department directly to verify the information.

The City is actively monitoring the situation and encourages residents to stay vigilant.

For verification or more information, please contact the Planning and Community Development Department at pcd@shorelinewa.gov or 206-801-2500.