Too Good to be True?
A cheap deal could end up costing you much more. It might be fraud.
Below is a fraud scam targeted at PE's. Below that, is one aimed at PLS's.
Be wary of freelance websites, where some unlicensed people create convincing profiles that falsely claim to offer licensed, professional engineering services.
Fraudsters are increasingly luring homeowners and consumers by selling fake engineering plans online. These plans often use stolen professional seals, license numbers or signatures. Appearances can be deceiving.
In many of these cases, the plans were not created by a licensed professional engineer. They might have been copy/pasted from another project or were created by AI. That means they could have serious mistakes, fail to meet code requirements, or even create safety risks.
Remember, they may:
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use stolen professional seals, signatures, or license numbers
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or have outright fake credentials
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deliver unsafe, poor-quality plans, or simply disappear after getting paid
Unfortunately, these scams are difficult to track and stop.
How can you protect yourself?
Before hiring anyone:
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search for a local, licensed professional engineer
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talk with them on the phone
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get their license number
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verify it through our License Lookup here
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Select “Advanced Search”
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Choose the license type “Professional Engineer”
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Search by the person’s name or license number
Most important, by talking with them, it can help you avoid fraud and make sure your project is in the hands of a qualified professional.
If you are the victim of ID Theft/Fraud, as a consumer or a licensee, there are some things you can do to curb the problem.
You can file a report with any number of federal and state agencies. For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website says it enforces federal consumer protection laws to prevent fraud, deception and unfair business practices. In total, the FTC has enforcement or administrative responsibilities under more than 70 laws. Reports are shared with more than 2,800 law enforcers.
However, the FTC does not respond to each report individually or take action on behalf of individual consumers. The FTC uses the reports to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams and bad business practices. Other agencies may have similar practices. Here are some links to those sites:
FBI
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. It is run by the FBI, the lead federal agency for investigating crime.
FTC.gov
“Protect your community by reporting fraud, scams and bad business practices.”
https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/assistant
USA.gov
Fraud reporting form to fill out as well, which takes about 2 – 5 minutes to complete.
https://www.usa.gov/where-report-scams/identity-scam#block-usagov-content
econsumer.gov
Econsumer.gov, a project of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), is a partnership of more than 65 consumer protection agencies around the world.
Report international scams and take more steps to resolve your complaint. Your complaint helps consumer protection agencies spot trends and work together to prevent international fraud.
https://econsumer.gov/assistant?lang=en-US
State of Washington Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Protection Department
https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/ComplaintForm.aspx
For Licensed Engineers:
- monitor online freelance platforms for misuse of your credentials
- for digitally signed documents, use a secure app with identity validation and audit trails
- limit the public use, as much as possible, of your license number, signature and stamp
- for physical documents, be aware of forgery techniques like using a deceased engineer's credentials
7-30-2026
Several Washington PLS’s report a survey scam posing as a legitimate prospective customer.
It looks like a normal request for professional services — but it’s actually a money trap that could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Here’s How the Scam Works:
- A “customer” emails asking to hire you for a survey. They provide parcel details — address, acreage, assessor’s map info — all of it believable
- They request property line delineation with corners set, a full topographic survey, plus documentation of structures and utilities
- They ask for CAD/DWG files from a licensed surveyor, along with a stamped PDF
- They offer to pay a deposit upfront, using a secure ACH link
Everything looks above board, but within a day or two, they cancel the job and demand a quick refund.
If you send the refund before the ACH actually clears — often 3 to 5 days — you later discover they canceled the ACH before it posted or they have no funds in the account.
Result? You handed them a refund, but you never actually received their deposit, and they disappear. Plus, you may get hit with an insufficient funds fee from your bank.
Watch for Red Flags
🚩 ACH payments aren’t necessarily bad — just wait until the money fully clears before issuing any refund
🚩 Call the customer. Most scam emails don’t have a phone number, for a reason
🚩 Don’t be impressed by detailed parcel info — what they provide is almost always publicly available or generated by AI. Many requests look too specific
🚩 Be careful when a new client offers to pay a deposit or retainer upfront
🚩 Engineers and on‑site professionals should stay alert too — this scam isn’t limited to land surveying
We'll be adding more resources and info in the coming weeks and months.