The District of Columbia’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) has issued an urgent advisory warning applicants and licensees about a fraudulent phishing campaign attempting to solicit payments for application approvals and fee invoices.
The regulatory agency confirmed that unauthorized individuals are impersonating ABCA officials, sending deceptive emails that claim to relate to pending application approvals, outstanding administrative fees, and digital payment instructions.
According to agency officials, the scam emails are originating from the fraudulent address abca.director@dr.com—a domain that has no connection to the District government. ABCA stressed that it never distributes fee or payment instructions from its internal director address (abca.director@dc.gov).
Strict Neutrality and Payment Protocols
To assist applicants and business owners in identifying fraudulent attempts, ABCA reiterated its core governance and payment procedures:
Board Impartiality: Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board members must remain entirely impartial under District law. Board members will never communicate directly with applicants or licensees regarding official business matters, application status, or payments.
Email Verification: All legitimate electronic communications from ABCA strictly originate from a secure email address ending in @dc.gov.
Payment Link Requests: ABCA only issues digital payment links upon direct request from applicants, licensees, or their approved registered agents.
Scheduled Invoicing: Unless an applicant is securing a brand-new license, routine renewal notices and annual payment reminders occur exclusively during designated windows published on the official fee and renewal schedule.
What Licensees and Applicants Should Do
ABCA advises anyone who receives a suspicious message matching this description to take immediate precautions:
Do not reply to the suspicious email or follow any digital payment instructions.
Do not click on embedded links, download attachments, or disclose personal or financial information.
Verify the sender’s address carefully to ensure the domain ends strictly in @dc.gov.
Forward suspicious emails directly to ABCA’s technology team at abca.it@dc.gov.
Applicants or business operators who suspect they have received fraudulent invoice demands or who need to verify the status of a pending application should reach out directly to ABCA through its verified contact channels at abca.dc.gov.
