Scammers Target Clayton Planning Applicants

CLAYTON – The Town of Clayton is urging residents, developers, and business owners to stay alert following several recent reports of fraudulent emails impersonating Town staff and requesting payments for planning and development-related services.

According to Communication Director Nathanael Shelton, scammers have been contacting individuals while claiming to represent the Town’s Planning Department and requesting money for application fees or other planning functions. A small number of individuals have already fallen victim to these scams.

The Town is reminding the community that all legitimate Town of Clayton emails come from addresses ending in “@townofclaytonnc.org.” Any email requesting payment from another domain did not come from the Town and should be treated as a scam. Residents are encouraged to verify the sender of any message before responding or taking action.

Additionally, the Planning Department does not typically email applicants after project submittal to request payment. Under normal procedure, all planning-related fees are collected at the time an application is processed, either in person or through the Town’s official online payment portal. Although there are situations where a payment may be needed later in the process, anyone who receives an unexpected request for money should treat the message as potentially fraudulent and take steps to verify it.

Residents who encounter suspicious messages are encouraged to call the Town directly to confirm whether the communication is legitimate. The Town of Clayton’s main line, 919-553-5002, is staffed during normal business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Town staff are working to alert the public and prevent additional cases of fraud. Shelton emphasized the importance of vigilance, saying, “If an email doesn’t come from our official domain, it isn’t from us. We want residents to feel confident verifying anything that looks suspicious before taking action.”

Residents are encouraged to avoid clicking unfamiliar links and to never send money unless they have confirmed the request directly with a member of Town staff.