WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County recovered over $826,000 that was nearly stolen in a fraud attempt.
MAWC said it was the victim of a vendor impersonation scheme in June, when a legitimate bill for the improvements at Indian Creek Water Treatment Plant was submitted.
The payment was submitted 15 days after the bill arrived, and a fraudulent email was received with new payment information that MAWC said looked genuine. The bank details in the email appeared to be in the exact same format as previous information from the legitimate vendor.
MAWC said the vendor advised the company they did not receive the money, which led them to trace the funds with the help of the authorities and the bank. The money was found in a bank in New York, which repaid $728,995 to MAWC.
The remainder of the funds had already been taken by the schemer, MAWC said. It will be covered by insurance.
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