Fairfax County has been made aware of fraudulent emails sent to applicants that appear to come from the Department of Planning and Development. These messages may reference real application numbers or upcoming hearings and may include fake invoices requesting wire transfers or other forms of payment.
We have identified a specific scam email with the subject line "Immediate Action Needed –Final Approval Fee for {SP-2025-PR-00077}." This email falsely claims to be from the “Fairfax County Planning Department” and urgently requests a wire transfer to secure project placement on a hearing agenda, stating that online payment is unavailable. This is a scam.
These emails are not from the county. Staff will never request payment through unsolicited emails, wire transfers or invoices sent outside of the official PLUS system. Official fee payments are exclusively processed through the PLUS system using ACH/eCheck, credit card or, in limited instances, a physical check.
If you receive an email that seems suspicious, contains unexpected payment instructions (especially a request for a wire transfer), or appears to impersonate a county employee:
- Do not click links, open attachments or send payment.
- Verify directly with staff by contacting the agency or the staff member working on your application.
- To confirm an email's authenticity or to report a suspicious message related to PLUS fees, email plussupport@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-324-2222. All official fee payments must be completed only through the PLUS system.
Protect yourself by confirming the source of any financial request before responding.
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