WCSO RECOVERS $122,000 IN SPOOF CEO EMAIL SCAM
January 28, 2019
WALTON COUNTY, Fla— More than one hundred thousand dollars is recovered after a sophisticated fraud scheme is reported in Walton County.
November 14th a Walton County business reported they had received a request via email from who they thought was a co-owner of the company requesting funds. Two separate wire transfers were made totaling $126,000.
After funds were transferred it was discovered the email was fake and the business contacted Walton County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation was launched, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations was contacted because of the large sum of money stolen, which involved numerous jurisdictions.
The investigation revealed the receiving bank was located in Valdosta, Georgia and some of the funds were then dispersed to two other locations in New York and Illinois. Walton County Sheriff’s Office contacted Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.
With the support of the FBI, investigators secured search and seizure warrants. Two of the three bank accounts were frozen and $32,000 was recovered from those accounts. One bank returned $90,000 after being contacted by law enforcement regarding the scheme. So far in the investigation, $122,000 has been recovered.
Investigators believe this particular email scheme is part of a larger multi-million-dollar fraud scam. This incident is still an active investigation. More details will be released as they become available.