09/05/2025

CAUTION: Sophisticated Phishing/Fraud Attempt - Municipalities Be Aware!

The APA-IL is sharing this notice to alert our planning community about a recent phishing attempt. This was a targeted scheme by a malicious actor who appears to closely track small municipal zoning agendas.

The fraudulent .pdf email attachment passed VirusTotal scans, which could make it look legitimate. Please use caution when reviewing incoming messages.

In this case, the phishing attempt was directed at a zoning applicant. We recommend reminding your applicants and colleagues to verify the sender’s email address carefully and to be cautious with unexpected attachments or requests.

We are interested if someone else hears of a similar attempt. Please email webmaster@ilapa.org if you have experience a similar, sophisticated phishing attempt.

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