The City of Midland Planning and Zoning Department is warning residents and businesses who have submitted planning applications that they are being targeted by a phishing scam.
Scammers have obtained email addresses of applicants and are sending fake invoices and payment requests while impersonating the City of Midland. The goal is to trick victims into making payments or providing sensitive personal and financial information.
How the Scam Works
Fraudsters are contacting people who have recently filed pre-development meeting requests, zoning changes, platting applications, or specific-use permits.
The fake emails typically:
- Appear to come from the City of Midland
- Contain invoices or requests for payment
- Ask for credit card information or other sensitive data
City’s Recommendations
According to the City of Midland:
- Verify that emails come from addresses ending in
@midlandtexas.gov - Do not provide credit card numbers or Social Security numbers via email
- Contact your assigned case manager directly if you receive a suspicious message
Independent Audit Reveals Weak Email Security
An independent email security audit of midlandtexas.gov shows the domain currently scores only 68% on email security best practices.
This relatively low score helps explain why phishing emails impersonating the City are successfully reaching residents and businesses. Weak or missing email authentication protocols (such as DMARC, DKIM, and SPF) make it easier for attackers to spoof official city communications.
You can view the current audit here:
https://audit.emailmenow.com/?domain=midlandtexas.gov
Why This Matters
This type of phishing scam — where criminals impersonate local government agencies — is becoming increasingly common in Texas.
Professionals, real estate developers, business owners, and law firms that regularly interact with city planning departments are especially at risk. A successful attack can lead to financial loss, identity theft, and exposure of sensitive client or business information.
Recommendations
- Always verify the sender’s email domain before clicking links or providing information.
- When in doubt, contact the City of Midland Planning and Zoning Department directly using known good contact information.
- Businesses and law firms should regularly audit their own email security posture to reduce the risk of being impersonated or targeted.
Protect your firm and clients.
Run a free Instant Cybersecurity Audit at audit.emailmenow.com to check your organization’s email security and identify vulnerabilities before attackers do.
Contact EmailMeNow IT Consulting for help strengthening your email security and protecting against impersonation attacks.
Source: Planning and Zoning department reports phishing scams, what to do – Midland Reporter-Telegram