Madison County pays $2.7 million to fraudulent 'vendor.' See what they are doing about it
The Madison County Board of Supervisors was notified on March 19 of the incident. The investigation is in early stages. Madison County, Mississippi, has initiated an international investigation following a fraudulent cyber event that resulted in the loss of over $2.7 million. The Madison County Board of Supervisors was notified of the fraudulent event on March 19 and contacted the Madison County Sheriff's office, the U.S. Secret Service, the Mississippi State Attorney General's Office, the State Auditor's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A total of $2,741,243.69 of Madison County funds was sent to a fraudulent vendor who claimed to be a current vendor of the county. Additional safety measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of taxpayer dollars.
Published : a month ago by Mary Boyte, Mississippi Clarion Ledger in Tech
Madison County has launched an international investigation following a fraudulent cyber event resulting in the loss of more than $2.7 million.
The Madison County Board of Supervisors announced Monday via Facebook that the board was notified of the event on March 19.
Following notification, the board contacted the Madison County Sheriff's office, the U.S. Secret Service, the Mississippi State Attorney General's office, the State Auditor's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The investigation, according to the Facebook press release, is in the early stages.
A total of $2,741,243.69 of Madison County funds was sent to a fraudulent vendor who presented itself as a current vendor of the county.
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The board will provide further details as investigation updates become available, officials said.
Gerald Steen, president of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, said he could not provide more details as the investigation is ongoing.
Steen did say that he and the board are waiting for investigation updates, which he hopes will come in daily or weekly moving forward.
Steen said he is hopeful that a portion of the lost money can be recovered.
In the meantime, the press release emphasized that additional safety measures have been put in to place "to ensure the safety of taxpayer dollars."
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Greg Higginbotham, the county administrator, will outline those safety measures during the next board meeting in April, officials said.
This story is ongoing. Check back on the Clarion Ledger for updates.