City of Cambridge Warns of Scam Impacting Permit Applicants

Cambridge, Mass., November 4, 2025 -- The City of Cambridge and Police Department are warning residents and businesses about a recent scam that has targeted various community members. There have been several recent instances where individuals or businesses conducting a transaction with the City, such as applying for a permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, have received fake invoices by e-mail.
 

In these cases, the applicant received an official looking e-mail that fraudulently used the name of a real City employee who works in the responsible department. The e-mail states there is a fee that needed to be paid in order to complete the desired transaction. The e-mail makes it clear that checks are not an acceptable form of payment and then instructs the recipient to respond to the e-mail for payment instructions.
 

The Cambridge Police Department and the City of Cambridge Information Technology Department are actively investigating the source of these e-mails. It is not believed that any personal data has been compromised – the individuals and businesses that have been targeted have appeared in public meetings or are known to regularly conduct these types of transactions with the City. Fortunately, none of the people who reported receiving these e-mails have sustained any sort of financial loss.
 

If you receive an e-mail from the City of Cambridge, we encourage you to take the following steps to verify its authenticity:
 

• Check the Return E-mail Address. All City of Cambridge employees have a work e-mail account that comes from an address associated with the City or their respective department. 
  
  For example – City of Cambridge e-mails all end in @cambridgema.gov; and Cambridge Police e-mails all end in @cambridgepolice.org.
  
  @usa.com is not an official government domain and is not a contractor or payment processor used by the City of Cambridge. That domain has been observed and reported in scams by other cities and counties across the country. 
   
• Verify the Information. If a fee for a transaction was not expected, we encourage you to call the appropriate City department using the number listed on the city website or visit their office to ensure its authenticity. Do not reply to the e-mail, click any links or call the phone numbers listed in the e-mail as these could connect you with a scammer. If the fee is legitimate, a staff member will be able to provide an explanation. 
   
• Ensure the Payment Method is Valid: When conducting an authorized transaction with the City, you will never be asked to purchase gift cards, make a payment by wire transfer, or use a mobile payment method (such as Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal) or BitCoin. 
   
• Report Suspicious Activity: Should you receive a fraudulent e-mail from a City official, please notify the appropriate City department. If you have been victimized and sustained a financial loss due to a fraudulent transaction, please file a report with the Cambridge Police.