GUILDERLAND — On Friday, the town warned Guilderland residents about a “sophisticated phishing campaign.”

Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a legitimate source with the goal of stealing money, gaining access to sensitive data and login information, or installing malware on the victim’s device.

“Fraudulent emails are being sent to solicit payments for town services, primarily targeting building and zoning requests,” said a Jan. 9 alert from the Guilderland Police Department. “These communications mimic legitimate invoices or urgent account notices in an attempt to trick residents into clicking malicious links that lead to fraudulent payments.”

The police notice goes on, “We strongly advise all residents not to click on links, download attachments, or reply to any suspicious messages.”

The police also list ways to spot potential scams; they may have:

— An unusual sense of urgency;

— Suspicious URLs with misspellings or extra characters;

— Suspicious emails with slightly different or extra characters such as “usa” at the end of an email address; or

— Unfamiliar, spoofed, or foreign sender phone numbers.

The alert urges residents who receive questionable communications to contact the appropriate town department directly by phone or through the town’s website.

Anyone who believes they have been scammed is urged to report it to the Guilderland Police Department at 518-356-1501 and may also report it to the New York State Attorney General's Office at 1-800-771-7755 or online at ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds-bureau.