SCAM ALERT: City of Yuma warns community of phishing scam

Residents in the area are reporting to authorities of emails that are possible phishing scams, according to the Yuma Police Department and the City of Yuma.

YPD said the emails are invoices and payments from the City of Yuma for records they allegedly requested or received.

According to research by the City of Yuma Technology Services, their email services have not been compromised and can confirm they are not being sent from the City of Yuma.

These emails have been received in the areas of Phoenix and Indio, Calif., said YPD.

YPD said there are no phishing emails being sent from the City of Yuma and that their accounts are being “phished” by using a City of Yuma email address to feign legitimacy. YPD also believes the suspects gained access to the victims’ contact list through some kind of hacking.

If you begin to receive emails like these, it is recommended that you change the password used for that email account immediately. Also, if that password is used for other accounts, it should also be changed.

Authorities said the majority of these scams happen outside of the United States in countries where criminal investigation, extradition, and prosecution is at times, non-existent.