The Ocala Gazette reported:
The city of Ocala issued a statement Wednesday saying that “City of Ocala was the victim of a fraudulent scheme that resulted in the theft of $277,799.81.” City Council member James Hilty Sr. said in a phone call with “The Gazette” that based on a conversation he had with Information Technology Auditor Vincent Iovino, it’s his understanding that the original amount taken was approximately $492,000 but that the city had clawed back about $214,000 from Bank of America.
Hilty said he was told by Lee on July 30 that the issue arose when the city’s procurement department sent an email to a vendor with a form requesting online banking information, but that email was intercepted. Hilty said it’s his understanding when the form was returned with fraudulent banking information that two city employees—one a lower-level employee still on probation and the other a senior staff member—reviewed the form and approved payment without realizing it was a scam. Hilty said this all occurred in late April or early May.
Hilty said he was told by Lee on July 30 that the issue arose when the city’s procurement department sent an email to a vendor with a form requesting online banking information, but that email was intercepted. Hilty said it’s his understanding when the form was returned with fraudulent banking information that two city employees—one a lower-level employee still on probation and the other a senior staff member—reviewed the form and approved payment without realizing it was a scam. Hilty said this all occurred in late April or early May.
Find the original article here.
Takeaway: The email received with the fraudulent form was sent from the fraudsters. Review the email to see if there are any red flags. Use an AI Tool to help. Check out the training session to see how to use Microsoft Copilot to spot red flags in an email or your inbox.
Enroll in Training Sessions: Last Thursday of Every Month is Training on Frauds and New Scam Alerts and How to Combat
Takeaway: The email received with the fraudulent form was sent from the fraudsters. Review the email to see if there are any red flags. Use an AI Tool to help. Check out the training session to see how to use Microsoft Copilot to spot red flags in an email or your inbox.
Enroll in Training Sessions: Last Thursday of Every Month is Training on Frauds and New Scam Alerts and How to Combat