City of Mount Vernon uncovers Instagram Fake Page Scam; Alerts Residents and Police Department

Mount Vernon, NY — On Sunday, May 17, 2020 the City of Mount Vernon was made aware of a fake Instagram page impersonating Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard (@MayorSPH). This fake account uses the handle of @MayorSPH_ in an attempt to deceive and exploit residents. The account has sent out several personal messages that we are aware of, asking residents to call a fake text number with a 254- area code requesting personal information to secure fake government loans. The Mount Vernon Police Department has been notified and will investigate any criminal acts regarding this fake page scam on Instagram.

We urge residents to always use precaution and refrain from releasing any personal information on social media and to follow the official City of Mount Vernon pages which include:

Instagram: @Mountvernony @MayorSPH Facebook: @CMVNY @MayorSPH Twitter: @CMVNY @MayorSPH

Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said, “These types of scams and fake page accounts have been prevalent for years within Mount Vernon. I urge residents to report any page that attempts to deliberately defraud, scam and misinform the residents of Mount Vernon. It is a great shame that someone would try to pull a stunt like this on our residents during the height of a global pandemic. We will be looking to use every resource available to bring these bad actors to light.”