ROCHESTER — An unidentified offender posted fraudulent signs around Snipatuit Pond in Rochester, which falsely indicate that the Buzzards Bay Coalition, Rochester Police Department and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries approved the counterfeit claims on the posters.

The homemade posters were laminated and nailed to various trees around Snipatuit Pond, warning residents about non-existent citations, boating regulations and trail cameras that were not implemented in the area.

One fraudulent poster is marked with the insignias of the Buzzards Bay Coalition, Rochester Police Department and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. It threatened boaters with a fake $500 citation if they throttled their boats onto trailers, stating that “power loading causes severe ramp erosion.”

“These posters were not created, distributed or endorsed by the Rochester Police Department in any way, so obviously we take the misuse of our department’s insignia very seriously,” said Rochester Police Chief Michael Assad.

Another falsified poster stated that Rochester Police Department cameras were recording license plate numbers of any offenders who leave behind trash and don’t respect the space.

“We urge the public to verify the legitimacy of any public notice by referring to our official Facebook page, the Town of Rochester website or the Town of Rochester Police Department website,” said Assad.

The police department has since started an investigation into the crime and urges anyone with information about the matter to contact the police directly.

Under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 268, Section 33, offenders who impersonate law enforcement officials could receive a fine of up to $400 or up to one year of imprisonment.

However, Assad emphasizes that this situation could be resolved without criminal charges.

“This may just be a big teachable moment. Nothing says that we have to charge the people. Maybe we sit down and have a conversation when we find out who it is,” he said.

Town Administrator Cameron Durant said the signs have since been removed from the area.

“As a community, we need to come together [and] we need to do it the right way,” said Assad, encouraging residents to come to the police if they are having issues and letting them address the situation rather than taking matters into their own hands.