UPDATE: Manhattan Residents Beware Of Online Payment: Village

MANHATTAN, IL — The Village of Manhattan is asking residents to be cautious when paying bills to the Village because of an unauthorized third-party bill payment service popping up on the internet, according to a Facebook post Wednesday from the Village.

The unauthorized bill payment website, going under the name Doxo, appears to be affiliated with the Village, but it is not, officials said. The website will ask users to "Pay your Village of Manhattan (IL) bill," and claims people can "Pay your bills securely with doxo."

According to Village officials, Doxo will take payment from a resident and then write a check to the Village. That check might not arrive for 10-14 business days, Village officials said, leaving residents left holding the bag for any late fees or penalties that accrue.

Instead, Village officials said the best and safest way to pay Village bills is to do so through the Village's website.

"To make online payments that are secure and reflected on your account in real time, please be sure to utilize the ePay online payment portal on our website at www.villageofmanhattan.org," the Village advised.

Editor's Note: Doxo reached out to Patch Thursday in response to this article. In its emailed response, Doxo made several claims about its business, including:

• "[W]hen a customer chooses to pay their bill using doxo, the payment timing is quite clear, as is how we are sending the payment. Users must check a box confirming the date, and they can choose to pay another way if that date is too far out."
• [T]he third party that the Village of Manhattan sends their customers to in order to make online payments has a maximum payment amount of $200. doxo allows consumers to make free payments for well above that amount."
• "Our service is reliable and trustworthy and millions of consumers and billers across the U.S. depend on doxo to pay bills easily and efficiently."

Doxo's statement also took issue with the original headline for this article, which included the word "scam." Patch has made an editorial decision to remove that word from the headline.

Doxo stated: "Our service is reliable and trustworthy and millions of consumers and billers across the U.S. depend on doxo to pay bills easily and efficiently."

Doxo currently has a "B" rating with the Better Business Bureau. It has a 3.99 out 5 rating from 455 customer reviews. The Better Business Bureau noted in its reasoning for Doxo's "B" rating that it had received 228 complaints against the business.