Apparently part of nationwide spam
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office responded to a bomb threat on Dec. 13 at T. Webber Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric on Route 9 in Philipstown.
An email that arrived at about 2 p.m. said an explosive device had been placed in the building, the sheriff said. About 20 people were evacuated and police closed Route 9 and other nearby roads while bomb-sniffing dogs from the New York State Police and the Sheriff’s Department conducted a search.
The sheriff said the threat appeared to be part of a wave of hoax emails received that day by businesses, schools and hospitals across North America. The bogus message demanded a $20,000 ransom paid with digital currency to prevent the bomb from going off.
