Santa Fe Standard

Santa Fe, N.M. – The Santa Fe County Growth Management Department has issued a warning about a scam targeting individuals with active development and zoning applications. Scammers are impersonating county officials and sending fraudulent emails requesting large wire transfer payments for processing zoning approvals. Two residents have reported receiving an email that appears to be from the county’s Planning Commission, falsely invoicing them for administrative and legal review in processing their application. The email includes an attached PDF labeled “Invoice,” featuring the County logo, and instructs recipients to wire thousands of dollars to an unaffiliated email address at gbclavio.santafecountynm.gov@usa.com.

Scammers are believed to obtain applicant information from publicly available meeting agendas posted on the county’s website.

Santa Fe County reminds residents that legitimate payments are only accepted through specific methods:

- In-person at the Santa Fe County Treasurer’s Office with cash, check, money order, or cashier’s check, using an official invoice provided by staff.

- Online for select Residential Development Permit Applications via Santa Fe County’s permitting site (GeoCivix).

- On rare occasions, the Santa Fe County Finance Department may provide a one-time credit/debit card or e-check payment link, but only at the request of an applicant’s Building and Development Services case manager.

Residents who receive email correspondence regarding their pending land use application or fees and wish to authenticate this correspondence should contact the Santa Fe County Growth Management Department at 505-986-6225.

Constituents who have fallen victim to a scam should contact the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Non-Emergency at (505) 428-3710.

To report receiving a suspicious email requesting a wire transfer, constituents can use the Sheriff’s Office online reporting system: CentralSquare Police To Citizen.