County warns public of fraudulent activity

SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Planning Department is warning citizens of an uptick in fraudulent invoices being sent out that impersonate the department.  

County officials first announced the fraudulent activity several months ago but said the scam attempts have since increased in realism, confusing community members.  

“If you receive an invoice that claims to be in any way related to Bonner County and our planning department, please call the planning department and confirm whether or not you actually have an amount due before submitting any kind of payment,” Commissioner Brian Domke said during Tuesday’s business meeting.  

Domke said the fraudulent documents do not reflect the standard practices used by the Planning Department to collect payments for projects. According to a Facebook post by Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, the fraud attempts are asking for wire transfers, whereas the Planning Department does not require that form of payment.  

Because project applications are public records, Domke said scammers can access applicant information through the county's website and send convincing-looking documents requesting payment. 

“Call the actual planning department or stop by in person and confirm whether you actually have a fee associated with your application that needs to be paid. We’d really like to prevent this fraud from continuing and harming any more citizens, so please have awareness of that,” Domke said. 

The Planning Department is in contact with the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office and the Bonner County Prosecutor's office regarding the matter.