Cape Charles, Va. — The Town of Cape Charles is alerting residents to a fraudulent email scam targeting individuals who have recently submitted applications to the town’s Planning and Zoning Department.
According to town officials, the scam involves emails that appear to come from the department and include an attached invoice requesting funds to be wired to the sender. The town has confirmed that these messages are fake and not issued by any official Cape Charles department.
“The Town of Cape Charles will never send an email asking for payment via money orders or wire transfers,” said Town Manager Rick Keuroglian. “Any email asking for this type of payment should immediately be disregarded.”
The scam mirrors similar phishing campaigns seen across Virginia in recent months, where bad actors use information pulled from publicly available planning and zoning documents to craft convincing, but fraudulent, invoices and emails.
To help residents protect themselves, the town recommends:
- Checking the sender’s email address — all official town emails end with @capecharles.org.
- Never responding to requests for payment via wire transfer or money order.
- Verifying any Planning and Zoning correspondence by contacting Katie Nunez at 757-331-3259, ext. 30.
Residents can stay informed through official channels including the town’s website (capecharles.org), Facebook page, the Cape Charles Gazette, the Nixle emergency alert system, and traditional U.S. mail.
Town officials urge residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious messages immediately.

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