Email Scam Swindles Money By Impersonating Howard Co. Staffers

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Residents are being warned of an email scam circulating right now impersonating Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning staffers and demands money from the recipient.

The scammer often uses the name of the current Howard County Department Planning and Zoning Director Lynda Eisenberg in the emails and demands payment for planning and zoning forms.

"THIS IS A SCAM! DPZ will NEVER email demanding payment via wire transfer, peer-to-peer payment or cryptocurrency. Additionally, the email address PlanningCom.HowardCountyMD.gov@usa.com is NOT a Howard County government email address. If you receive this email, DPZ advises community members to NOT click on any links or provide any information and to NOT forward or reply to the email," according to the county.

Instead, residents who receive this email are asked to mark it as junk/spam and delete it immediately and contact DPZ directly by calling 410-313-2350 or by clicking on the "Email Us" button on its website.

Furthermore, if you believe you may have been a victim of an email scam in which you have provided payment and/or personal or financial information, please call Howard County Police Department's non-emergency number at 410-313-2200 (select option #2) or visit its "File an Online Report" website to file a police report.