Idaho schools recover a portion of fraudulent online payment
Teton School District No. 401 in Teton County, Idaho, announced Thursday in a press release that $484,332 of stolen money was returned to its bank account. The funds were part of the fraudulent online payment of $784,000 that a district employee sent a scammer.
The Teton Valley News broke the story Dec. 21 that Teton School District No. 401 reported a loss of more than three-quarters of a million dollars to the Teton County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Office. The sum was a monthly payment from a bond passed by the community in November 2017 to repair or replace old buildings and improve classrooms.
Business manager Carl Church allegedly sent the large sum to scammers after receiving a fake email asking for payment. In doing so, he went outside the district’s normal method of sending a payment, which was devised to avoid instances of fraud.
Since this summer, in order to make payments on construction for bond-funded projects, the school’s architectural firm reviewed all the bills from Headwaters Construction, the contractor, to make sure the work was completed and materials listed were received. Once it signed off, the bill went to Superintendent Monte Woolstenhulme, Church and a board member to be signed by all three.
Read more: https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/local/article_19078b78-9aa7-5058-9a58-9d860efd494c.html
(Jackson Hole News and Guide)