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