Beaufort County warns of email scam impersonating staff & officials

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Beaufort County officials are warning residents, property owners and business leaders to watch out for fraudulent emails impersonating county employees and demanding payments via wire transfer.

According to county officials, scammers sent fraudulent emails posing as the Beaufort County Planning and Community Development Department regarding a zoning map amendment application. The email told the recipient to wire money to settle an invoice before the county could review the application.

County leaders confirmed the email was fake and urged the public to stay vigilant.

How to spot the scam

Officials say the fraudulent email came from the address “planning.bcgov@usa.com.” While the sender used “BCGov” in the address and included the real name, title and physical address of the county’s planning department, it did not originate from a legitimate government account.

All official Beaufort County employee email addresses end in the government domain “bcgov.net.”

Officials advise recipients to look closely at the sender’s full email address and pay close attention to the “From” line, as scammers frequently spoof the names of real staff members, elected officials and departments.

Red flags to look for

Beaufort County Government emphasized that it will never request payments through unofficial email accounts or send wire-transfer instructions over email. Legitimate permits, invoices, citations, and fees are processed through established, official payment systems.

Officials say you should be suspicious of any email that:

• Requests payments via wire transfer or provides banking details via email.
• Creates a false sense of urgency, claiming immediate payment is required to approve a permit or application.
• Arrives outside normal county business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
• Comes from commercial domains such as Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, or USA.com instead of “bcgov.net.”
• Instructs you to disregard previous payment directions provided by county staff.

What to do if you receive a suspicious email

Officials urge the public never to wire money, share banking credentials, open attachments, or click links found in suspicious emails.

If you receive an email claiming to be from Beaufort County and question its legitimacy, do not use the contact information provided in the message. Instead, verify the request by contacting the department directly through the county’s official website at beaufortcountysc.gov.

Anyone who has already wired funds or provided sensitive financial details should immediately contact their bank and file a report with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency dispatch at 843-524-2777.