New Email Scam Impersonates Local Planning Staff to Solicit Fraudulent Fees

An email phishing scheme is circulating that targets development applicants by impersonating local planning staff and demanding payment of an “Application Approval Fee” invoice. The messages claim that paying the invoice is a critical step to complete the approval process and avoid project delays. They are designed to appear credible and urgent, often arriving shortly after the County posts meeting agendas and application materials online.

Local government staff have confirmed that these scams have become common and frequently follow the public posting of agendas and application packets. By mining publicly available documents, scammers can mirror real project information and timelines. While the details may be accurate, the payment demand is not.

The scam emails contain claims substantially similar to this:

• We are contacting you regarding your application for Project No. XXXX, which concerns rezoning/development order XXXX (all of this information is publicly available).
• Your application has been recommended for approval. To finalize this recommendation and proceed with official processing, you must pay the attached Application Approval Fee invoice.
• Next steps: Respond to this email requesting wire transfer instructions.
• Please note that all correspondence regarding this invoice and payment must be conducted exclusively via email.

Local government staff have indicated they are evaluating measures to curb these schemes, including redacting email addresses from application materials where feasible. Until additional safeguards are in place, if you receive such an email, always contact the attorney handling your application or the local government by phone to confirm the email's accuracy before making any payment.

We will continue to monitor the situation. If you have questions in the meantime dealing with real property rights, land use, and zoning matters, please don't hesitate to contact Becky Wilson at Rebecca.Wilson@lowndes-law.com or Cole Oliver at Cole.Oliver@lowndes-law.com.