Planning and Zoning Scams Target Gwinnett Property Owners

Gwinnett County is warning residents and businesses about a sophisticated email scam targeting people involved in planning and zoning applications.

The fraudulent messages are designed to appear as though they came from the county’s Planning and Development Department. Some copy the name, title and email address of a real county employee, making the payment request more convincing.

The emails may include an invoice for a supposed “application approval fee” or attach a counterfeit zoning approval letter. Gwinnett County says the requested fees do not exist and the communications are not connected to county government.

The warning is particularly important for property owners, developers and small businesses already expecting legitimate expenses as part of a zoning or development application. A payment request that refers to a real project or appears to come from a familiar official may not immediately look suspicious.

How to Recognize the Scam

Gwinnett County says it will never ask zoning applicants to pay through a wire transfer, money order or an unfamiliar payment link.

All legitimate payments connected to Gwinnett zoning applications are processed through the county’s Gwinnett ZIP Portal.

Residents should be cautious if an email:

• Requests a wire transfer or money order.
• Directs payment through a link outside the ZIP Portal.
• Claims that immediate payment is required for an application to be approved.
• Includes an unexpected invoice or approval letter.
• Requests personal, banking or payment information by email.
• Creates pressure by warning that an application will be delayed or rejected.

Even an email displaying a genuine county employee’s information should not be trusted solely on appearance. Sender details can be copied or manipulated, and a familiar name does not establish that the message came from the employee’s county account.

Do Not Use the Contact Information in the Email

Anyone who receives a suspicious request should avoid replying, clicking links, opening unexpected attachments or calling a number provided in the message.

Instead, applicants should independently contact Gwinnett Planning and Development at 678-518-6000 or P&D-PlanningZoning@GwinnettCounty.com. County staff can verify whether a fee, invoice or approval notice is legitimate.

Suspected fraudulent messages should also be marked as spam or phishing through the recipient’s email provider.

People who have already sent money or supplied banking information should immediately contact their financial institution. They should also preserve the email, invoice, payment instructions and transaction records rather than deleting them, as those materials may assist investigators.

Why These Emails Can Be Convincing

Planning and zoning matters generate an ordinary stream of notices, invoices, application updates and technical correspondence. Applicants may communicate with several county employees and outside professionals during a single project.

That routine complexity gives scammers an opening. A false invoice can be inserted into what already feels like a complicated government process, particularly when it uses official language and the identity of a real employee.

The county has not disclosed how many Gwinnett residents or businesses received the recent emails, whether anyone sent money or how the scammers selected their targets.

Gwinnett officials said the activity is part of a nationwide pattern. Although the latest local incidents have focused on zoning applicants, similar impersonation schemes elsewhere have used the identities of other government departments.

The safest rule is straightforward: a Gwinnett zoning payment should be visible and processed inside the official ZIP Portal. Any request to pay another way should be independently verified before money or personal information changes hands.

Source: Gwinnett County planning and zoning scam warning.