In April of this year a vendor for Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners was the victim of a sophisticated business email compromise scam, which resulted in a large payment being diverted to a fraudulent account. Thus far recovery efforts have resulted in over $629,000 being returned to the county.
The Milton Police Department is continuing their investigation of this matter, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. A person of interest has been identified in another state and law enforcement is seeking to make contact with them at this time.
In addition, the Clerk of Court has engaged the services of PaymentWorks to enhance their payment security measures. Once onboarding is complete,
PaymentWorks will be responsible for all vendor verification prior to payment and indemnify the Clerk of Court and Board of County Commissioners for up to $2,000,000 per transaction.
Following the discovery of the scam in April, the Clerk of Court tightened vendor payment methods, including stopping all electronic payments and only issuing payment by check for a period of time.
“With the recent cybersecurity attacks involving Ascension Sacred Heart, the City of Pensacola, the First Judicial Circuit of Florida, and this particular vendor, it’s clear that criminals are looking to victimize non-profits, governmental agencies, and those who do business with them” said Santa Rosa County Clerk Don Spencer. “Partnering with PaymentWorks gives us an extra layer of protection when making electronic payments. It also protects the county’s vendors from the kind of fraud that occurred.”
