The City of Glens Falls warned residents on March 25 about a fake email that appears to come from the city’s Planning Department but is actually a scam. The city said the fraudulent message, sent from an address ending in @usa.com, uses correct grammar and official-sounding language to deceive recipients.
Officials explained that the scam email includes an attachment which may contain a virus. Residents are urged to be cautious with any emails claiming to be from city officials and to verify the sender’s domain. All legitimate city employee and fire department emails end with “@cityofglensfallsny.gov,” while police department emails use “@glensfallspd.com.” Any other domain, such as @usa.com, should be treated as suspicious.
The city also noted that phishing emails often claim recipients owe money or have missed deadlines, and typically lack additional contact information like phone numbers. “Official contact from us in these situations would include names, departments listed and phone numbers,” the statement said. It added that the city rarely bills by email and prefers traditional mail for invoices.
Residents who receive questionable messages are encouraged to call the general city number at (518) 761-3800 for verification. The New York State Department of Local Government Services has reported similar scams targeting planning departments across the state.
Anyone who has clicked on suspicious links or attachments is advised to run antivirus software immediately. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) provides resources for reporting cybercrime at https://www.ic3.gov/.
The warning concludes with advice for continued vigilance against online scams.
