The Philadelphia Department of Revenue is warning the public about a fraudulent website that imitates the city’s official water bill payment site. Scammers have created a fake website, “myphillywaterbill.com,” designed to deceive customers into providing their payment information. While the legitimate website for paying water bills is named MyPhillyWaterBill, the official hyperlink does not share this name.

“Domain spoofing” or “URL spoofing” is a tactic scammers use to trick users into providing personalw information or downloading malware. In this case, scammers created a fake website with a domain name similar to the legitimate branding, despite the city website typically using “.gov” or “.org” extensions. This can trick users into believing they are engaging with the genuine website, according to a Revenue Department press release.

The department said it could assure Philadelphia’s water customers that online payments remain a secure and efficient method for making payments. Customers are encouraged to visit phila.gov/pay or phila.gov/revenue for direct access to the city’s secure payment portal. To pay online, customers will need their nine–digit Water Access Code, which can be found on their bill. Payments made using eCheck are free, while payments made by credit and debit card will incur standard processing fees.

The Revenue Department offered these additional guidelines: Always be skeptical of unsolicited requests for personal or financial information; report any suspicious activity to the appropriate agencies; and verify information through official channels and websites.

If you believe you have shared personal or financial information, the city recommends that you report it to the FBI at (215) 418-4000 or visit tips.fbi.gov. You can also contact the Federal Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

For more information on how to identify phishing texts and other internet scams, visit the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s website, attorneygeneral.gov.