ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – A scam alert in the Town of Ithaca.

According to the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office, scam artists and bots are scraping municipal websites for personal information from applications and permit process forms.

They’re pulling legitimate letterheads, logos, and staff names from sites to craft realistic email requests and invoices for payment. The Sheriff’s Office reminds you that municipalities will not ask for payment in the form of wire transfers.

If you receive such a message, check the email address and message for errors, do not open attachments or links, and, when in doubt, contact the town directly.