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County issues fraud alert after applicants received fake county invoices; one applicant lost more than $10,000
Summary
Buckingham County’s zoning administrator warned that applicants for permits have received phishing emails and invoices purporting to be from county officials (often signed with the chairman’s name); staff urged residents to forward suspicious messages to county staff and posted guidance on the county website.
Buckingham County staff warned residents and applicants that a phishing campaign has targeted planning and zoning applicants with fake invoices asking for payment.
Zoning administrator Nikki Edmonston told the Planning Commission the county has received multiple reports in the last two years of applicants getting emails and invoices resembling official county correspondence. The messages commonly used county letterhead and were signed with what appeared to be Chair Joe In Chambers’ name; they instructed recipients to wire funds or use payment apps to complete an alleged fee.
"We have not had any fraud that has occurred as a result of these scams until recently. And we do have an individual that filled out an application ... that engaged with the individuals to the tune of over $10,000 that they paid to the individual posing as a Buckingham County government official," Nikki Edmonston said, urging caution.
Edmonston asked citizens to forward suspicious messages to her office, the county administrator (Carl Carter) and the IT director (Jamie Shoemaker) for investigation. She said the county will continue to post alerts on buckinghamcounty.va.org and the Buckingham County Local Government Facebook page.
Staff emphasized that official county payment requests will not be handled through unsolicited emails asking for wire or app transfers and urged applicants to confirm payment requests directly with county staff.
