Your permit number can be real. The bill can still be fake.

A correct property address, case number or city official's name does not make a permit invoice genuine. Alpharetta's IT department includes that warning in materials prepared for the Planning Commission's Nov. 5 meeting.⁠[1]

The packet includes a March 9, 2026, FBI alert describing a nationwide scheme: criminals mine publicly available permit information, impersonate city or county planning officials and email fraudulent fee demands to people and businesses with active land-use applications.⁠[1]

The city slides say scammers watch board and commission agendas and that local businesses have been tricked into paying. They identify no victims, incident dates or loss amounts, leaving the scale of the problem in Alpharetta unclear.⁠[1]

One telling tactic: an itemized PDF invoice may tell applicants to seek payment instructions by email rather than telephone, supposedly to maintain an audit trail. The FBI says that is designed to discourage a call that could expose the fraud. Other warning signs include demands for wire transfers, peer-to-peer payments or cryptocurrency, and threats that failure to pay immediately will delay the permit.⁠[1]

Before paying, call the city or county using a phone number listed on its official website to verify the fee, the FBI advises. Check the sender's full email address and domain against the official's actual address. Letterhead, seals, polished writing and familiar names are not proof that a message is legitimate.⁠[1]

Victims can file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. The advisory asks for available details including the sender's address, the email date, any phone number, the project's scheduled hearing date, the invoice amount, the requested payment method and any bank account information provided.⁠[1]