City of Tenino loses $280,309 to phishing email scam, state Auditor's Office says
The city of Tenino fell victim to a fraudulent scheme that cost it $280,309 in public funds, according to the Washington State Auditor’s Office.
Former Clerk Treasurer John Millard initiated 20 automated clearing house payments from the city’s bank account to multiple out-of-state bank accounts from March 19 to May 4, 2020, per a report. A series of phishing emails prompted the payments, many of which he did not get city council approval for.
The email was sent to multiple public employees in Washington state who were members of the Washington Municipal Clerks Association. The same day it was sent, the association notified members that it was illegitimate.
“While other recipients either deleted or ignored the email, contacted the association to confirm it was a phishing attempt, or contacted their IT departments, Tenino’s Clerk-Treasurer did not,” the report says.
Millard, who served in the U.S. military until 2016, had previously received training in cybercrimes, according to the report.
Read more at: https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article257335777.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
