The village government of Cronton-on-Hudson, N.Y., has mailed exponentially inflated water bills to residents as a form of wake-up call.

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Village officials said the bills are meant to get the attention of customers who have not responded to requests from the village that they set up appointments to install new water meters that use radio signals to communicate with readers, the White Plains (N.Y.) Journal reported Thursday.

"When I opened it up, I got a bill for $1,096.45, for a bill that usually runs $150," said David Bauder, a local entertainment writer.

Bauder admitted he had neglected the earlier notices from the village, but he disagrees with the tactics the government used to get his attention.

"They got my attention, but I think it was pretty obnoxious the way they went about it. Sending out a fraudulent bill a week before Christmas -- it's outrageous," he said.

"I wonder how someone on a fixed income or an elderly person, how they'd receive it," he said. "A cruel hoax."