McHenry County officials are warning people who have submitted planning and development or zoning applications to be aware of a scam going around.

The scheme involves someone sending fake emails to people who have submitted zoning or permit requests, county officials said Thursday.

Officials said the emails include details skimmed from the county’s meeting portal to make them seem legitimate.

The emails come from a usa.com address and “inform constituents that their permit was approved and encourage them to open an attached invoice and pay for their permit through a link,” according to a county news release.

McHenry County Director of Planning and Development Adam Wallen said the scam came to the county’s attention on Wednesday, and the IT department and sheriff’s office were notified.

Wallen said some applicants had reached out to ask if the scam email was legitimate.

Official McHenry County government business comes from the county’s @mchenrycountyil.gov domain, and officials said the county never uses any other domain.

People who get an email from a usa.com address should delete it immediately and report it as spam, officials said.

“Besides the risk of sending money to a scam artist, clicking a link or opening an attachment in a scam email could expose your computer and/or your network to malware, viruses or ransomware,” according to the release.

Officials said the process of obtaining, updating or paying for permits with McHenry County is conducted through the online portal at mchenrycountyil.gov/departments/planning-development.

Those with questions or concerns about the legitimacy of emails they get from the Planning and Development Department can email the department at plandev@mchenrycountyil.gov or call 815-334-4560.