Stark County Planning and Zoning Director Steve Josephson warned applicants at the commission’s Oct. 2 meeting that fraudsters are sending fake invoices asking applicants to pay application fees via wire transfer. He told commissioners the county does not accept wire transfers and urged applicants to contact county staff if they receive such requests.

The county will post a notice on its website and staff will advise applicants in counseling sessions that the only fees they should expect are application fees, certified-letter charges and, where applicable, engineering review fees. "Stark County does not accept wire transfers," Josephson said, adding, "Do not respond to any attempts to collect fees via wire transfer and contact the county as soon as you see those."

Chairman Franschak and commissioners agreed the public should be made aware; staff said it will forward suspicious solicitations to other county departments and to county IT for awareness. Josephson said similar scams have affected city applicants and that one recent request sought $2,800 by wire.

The commission did not take formal action on the notice; staff said the warning will be published online and repeated in applicant counseling sessions. The county did not provide details about whether any applicants have paid the fake invoices or whether law enforcement is investigating.