PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Like all local governments across the state, Parma Heights is currently in the process of approving cybersecurity policies.

No other community knows more about the threat of a cyberattack than in Parma Heights, where roughly two years ago the city was scammed out of $500,000.

Parma Heights Police Chief Steven Greene said the ruse began after the city’s email system was hacked.

“It’s theorized that somehow bad actors gained access to password information where they discovered invoices,” he said. “Next, they created fake email accounts, the result of which allowed them to change one character and send emails to the finance department that looked very real.

“Since they had access to email accounts, they would then delete valid emails and create their own responses

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