FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Planning & Inspections Department is alerting residents of an email message scam currently circulating. The fraudulent message includes the Planning & Inspections Department’s address, an attached fraudulent invoice and falsely claims to be sent from the Cumberland County Joint Planning Board.

Planning & Inspections invoices are only issued by email upon request by the applicant or through the official permit system when a permit is created. Planning & Inspections never requests payment through wire transfer.

Common email scam signs may include:

• Unexpected or urgent requests for payment

• Email addresses that do not match official County domains

• Spelling, grammar or formatting inconsistencies

• Links directing to unfamiliar or suspicious websites

Residents are encouraged to review the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) public service announcement at www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260309. The alert warns communities nationwide about criminals impersonating city and county officials to fraudulently solicit payments related to planning and zoning permits.

Reporting and Verification Resources:

• Suspicious requests involving land‑use permits or other planning and zoning activities should be verified through the Cumberland County Planning & Inspections Department at 910-678-7600. Related incidents may also be reported to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 910-323-1500.

• Possible scam emails may be reported to the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or 910-716-6000.

• Incidents suspected to involve criminal activity may be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

For more information about programs and services offered by the Cumberland County Planning & Inspections Department, visit cumberlandcountync.gov/planning.