Gwinnett County businesses and residents have recently been targeted in a nationwide scam that impersonates local planning and zoning departments to request payment for non-existent fees. The request comes via an official-looking email that copies a real employee’s name, title, and email address.  

Recent emails targeting Gwinnett businesses and residents have requested application approval fees for zoning applications. These emails are designed to look like an official Gwinnett County communication and may include invoices requesting fraudulent application approval fees or counterfeit approval letters.  These emails are not affiliated with Gwinnett County Government. 

Gwinnett County will never request payment via money order, wire transfer, or suspicious links. If you receive a suspicious email, do not send a wire transfer, click on any links, or provide payment or personal information. All payments for zoning applications are processed through GwinnettZIP.com. Do not respond to any requests for payments outside of the ZIP Portal. 

If you receive a suspicious email about a zoning application, contact Gwinnett Planning and Development at 678.518.6000 or P&D-PlanningZoning@GwinnettCounty.com to confirm whether the email is legitimate or to request assistance. You should also report fraudulent emails as spam or phishing to your email provider. 

While these recent local incidents have targeted zoning applicants, other departments and services have been the subject of similar scams in other cases across the country. Please be aware and report it to the correct agency.