CORAL GABLES, FL — The City of Coral Gables is warning residents, businesses and professionals about fraudulent invoices that appear to come from city departments or boards and instruct recipients to send payments by wire transfer.

The fraudulent notices may reference actual permit or development applications and include names, property addresses, application numbers and other project details. They may also use the names of city departments, boards or officials to appear legitimate.

In one reported instance, a false invoice related to a historic preservation application claimed that payment was required before the city could finalize the application. The recipient was directed to request payment instructions by email, wire the funds and return a copy of the transfer receipt.

The City of Coral Gables will never ask an applicant or customer to pay a city invoice by wire transfer.

Information about permits, development applications and public meetings may be publicly available. Scammers can use these details to create correspondence that appears official. Similar fraudulent schemes have been reported in other jurisdictions.

The public should be cautious of invoices or payment requests that:

• Demand immediate or urgent payment.
• Request payment by wire transfer.
• Direct the recipient to communicate only by email.
• Contain unfamiliar email addresses or payment instructions.
• State that an application or approval will be delayed unless payment is made.

Anyone who receives an unexpected invoice should not use the contact information included in the correspondence. Instead, contact the appropriate city department directly using the information published at coralgables.com to verify whether the invoice is legitimate.

Do not pay a suspicious invoice. Retain the invoice and any related emails, messages or payment instructions and report the incident to the Coral Gables Police Department at 305-442-1600.