North Carolina Construction News staff writer
City of Charlotte officials are warning developers, contractors, and other rezoning applicants about a fraudulent email scam involving counterfeit invoices for city fees.
According to a recent announcement, the City of Charlotte Planning staff discovered a scam attempt where fraudulent emails are being sent to applicants. Officials said the scam uses an email address that appears to be from the City of Charlotte but is not part of the city’s official domain.
The email includes a “counterfeit invoice that looks like an official City of Charlotte document” in an attempt to collect funds.
City staff clarified that all official rezoning applications and payments are processed through the Accela portal. As a precaution, the city is reminding all Accela users of the correct notification and payment procedures.
Official notification for the payment of fees for the City of Charlotte’s Land Development services will come directly from Accela. The email address on legitimate correspondence will be From: No******@****la.com (Au*********@****la.com).
The city emphasized that there are only two valid payment methods:
- Electronically: Via credit card or eCheck through the Accela system.
- By Check: A hard copy check may be delivered or mailed to the CLT Development Center at 600 East 4th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.
In the announcement, the city issued a critical warning: “City of Charlotte officials and staff will never request funds to be wired to an account.”
Officials urge all applicants to “remain vigilant” and not respond to any suspicious emails requesting payment. Anyone who receives a questionable email or invoice should contact the City of Charlotte Land Development team directly to verify its authenticity before taking any action.