DOBBS FERRY- The Village of Dobbs Ferry is warning residents, property owners, and professionals about a scam involving fraudulent email requests for payments related to building permits, zoning matters, planning applications, and other land use services.
Village officials recently learned of an incident in which an architect doing business in Dobbs Ferry received a fraudulent payment request and was tricked into sending money by wire transfer.
The scam is part of a nationwide scheme in which individuals impersonate local government officials or departments to solicit payments for application fees, renewals, and other expenses. The emails may include official-looking invoices and accurate details about actual projects or applications, making them difficult to distinguish from legitimate requests.
The Village is advising anyone who receives an email requesting payment for a permit or application to verify the request directly with the Building Department using its published phone number before sending money.
Officials also urged recipients to check the sender’s email address. Official Village emails come from addresses ending in @dobbsferry.gov. Emails from unfamiliar domains, including usa.com, should be treated with caution, the Village said.
The Village does not accept wire transfers as a form of payment. Residents and professionals should not send money or change payment instructions based solely on an email. Officials also cautioned against clicking suspicious links or opening attachments, even when an email contains accurate information about a project.
Anyone who receives a suspicious payment request should avoid responding or sending money until the request has been independently verified.
Those who believe they have been targeted or have sent money in response to a fraudulent request are urged to contact the Dobbs Ferry Police Department and file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at .
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