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Fraud & Payment Safety

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Fraud & Payment Safety

Protect yourself from fraudulent City emails, invoices and payment requests.

Fraud Alert: The City of Astoria is aware of fraudulent communications in which scammers impersonate the City or City departments and attempt to collect money from residents, property owners, businesses and applicants.

In some cases, scammers may use information found in publicly available records to make their communications appear legitimate. A fraudulent message may include your name, property address, project information, permit or application details, or other accurate information.

The fact that a message contains accurate information about you or your City application does not mean it came from the City of Astoria.

Know How the City Communicates With You

Official City of Astoria email communications are sent from email addresses ending in @astoria.gov.

Always check the actual sender's email address. A message may display the name of a City employee or department while actually being sent from a different email address.

Be suspicious of messages that create urgency, unexpectedly request payment, provide new banking information, or ask you to communicate using an email address outside of @astoria.gov.

Important Payment Information

The City of Astoria will never ask you to pay permit or application fees by wire transfer, ACH transfer, cryptocurrency, gift card, or payment to an individual.

Do not send money based solely on payment instructions received by email.

If you receive an invoice or payment request that you were not expecting, verify it directly with the City before making payment.

Use contact information obtained independently from www.astoria.gov. Do not use telephone numbers, email addresses, links, QR codes, or banking information contained in a suspicious message.

Public Records Can Be Used by Scammers

Many City records are public records under Oregon law. These records may contain information such as:

  • Names of applicants or property owners
  • Property addresses
  • Permit or application information
  • Project descriptions
  • Meeting or hearing information
  • Other information associated with City business

Criminals can combine this information with information available from other public sources to locate telephone numbers, email addresses, or other contact information.

They can then use this information to create highly personalized emails, invoices, letters, or other communications that appear to come from the City.

Do not assume a communication is legitimate simply because the sender knows details about you, your property, or your City application.

Warning Signs

Be cautious if a communication:

  • Does not come from an @astoria.gov email address
  • Requests an ACH or wire transfer for a permit or application
  • Provides banking or routing information for payment
  • Requests payment to an individual or unfamiliar organization
  • Changes previously provided payment instructions
  • Creates unusual urgency or threatens immediate consequences for nonpayment
  • Asks you to reply to an unfamiliar email address
  • Contains a link or QR code directing you to an unfamiliar payment site
  • Tells you not to contact the City directly

If You Receive a Suspicious Message

Do not send payment.

Do not use the contact information contained in the suspicious message.

  1. Visit www.astoria.gov directly.
  2. Locate the City department involved.
  3. Contact that department using the telephone number or email address published on the City's website.
  4. Ask the City to verify the communication, invoice and amount due before making a payment.

If you have already sent money in response to a fraudulent request, contact your bank or financial institution immediately and report the incident to law enforcement.

STOP. VERIFY. THEN PAY.

A legitimate City employee will understand if you want to independently verify a payment request.

When in doubt, contact the City of Astoria directly using contact information published at www.astoria.gov.