No, Sweetwater County Is Not For Sale

When Sweetwater County Commissioner Island Richards received a scam email inquiring about purchasing the county, he did not buy it for a second—but he did share it with his followers for a laugh. The email, sent April 29 by “Alexa Smith” at “Pilot Platforms,” opened with a remarkable compliment: “I noticed you’ve been in operation since 1869.”

Sweetwater County indeed became a county in the Wyoming Territory in 1869. But Commissioner Richards, a business owner of Kelly’s convenience centers in Rock Springs, has not personally been in operation since the 19th century. The email’s subject line read: “Sweetwater County acquisition.”

Amused, Richards asked his social media followers, “Should I sell Sweetwater County?” The comments rolled in. One person asked, “Wow you’re older than I thought!” Another joked, “You floated the Green with John Wesley Powell in 1869?” Fellow Commissioner Taylor Jones chimed in, “I have the same email. You’re too late, I’m closing this afternoon.” Jones told Cowboy State Daily, “I look pretty good for being in business since 1869. I’ve aged well.”

Richards said he receives spam emails regularly as a business owner, but this was the first inquiry into the possible purchase of an entire county. “That’s why I thought it was funny enough to share,” he said. “I’m sure they harvested information from the Secretary of State’s office.” Wyoming business records are public, making it easy for scammers to craft phishing attempts.

The email claimed that Pilot Platforms handles the “full exit process – buyer sourcing, negotiations, and close” – in “about half the time of traditional brokers.” A postscript added, “If this isn’t relevant — just let me know and we won’t reach out again.” The website pilotplatform.info redirects to tworld.com, the site of Transworld Business Advisors, a company based in Fort Lauderdale that claims to bring buyers and sellers together. The business has a 2.6-star rating on Trust Pilot based on just five reviews.

Richards wrapped up April, which was County Government Month, with a 14-part video series titled “What Does County Government Actually Do?” The series explains services like the sheriff, roads, land use planning, and public health. Selling the entire county, however, is not one of those services.