An email arrives on official Marin County letterhead, written in bureaucratese—it’s an invoice for $7,500 in building fees. Seems plausible enough. But the note was in fact ersatz, part of a new phishing scheme targeting those who have applied for permits through the county’s Community Development Agency. The emails appear to come from Sarah Jones, the agency’s director, and uses information pulled from the county’s public building permit portal, including property addresses and contact details. Scammers send fraudulent invoices directing applicants to wire money for purported planning or building-permit fees. But in fact, the county never requests payment by wire transfer, Zelle, PayPal or other apps. The messages use addresses that resemble official county accounts but originate from non-government domains, including “@usa.com.” Three applicants have contacted the county about suspicious invoices, though Ms. Jones said the emails may have reached anyone with an application on file. Similar scams have struck Novato, Mill Valley, Belvedere, Larkspur, Fairfax, San Anselmo and San Rafael over the past year. “It’s an odd feeling having an email like that go out in your own name and on behalf of your own department,” Ms. Jones said. “It really feels violating.”