The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- A $545,598 payment from the town of Surfside Beach, South Carolina, meant for contractor Wildcat Construction was diverted to fraudsters through a Business Email Compromise scam, with the money sent to a bank account in Utah instead.
- Investigators found no breach of the town's own systems, and a town employee had attempted to verify the changed payment instructions before sending the money.
- Wildcat's CEO, Alyssa Bowker, disputes the town's forensic report, arguing the town never verbally confirmed the payment change with an authorized company employee.
- The contractor says it still has not been paid, and the town's mayor said the town will review its internal procedures.
What to watch next
- Outcome of the payment dispute over who bears the $545,598 loss
- Results of the town council's planned review of its payment verification procedures
- Whether new evidence clarifies who responded to the town's verification email
Coverage1
1 report
English national1
All filed from India
Named United States · Brian Gray · Nicole Kindzia · Surfside Beach · Wildcat Construction · Alyssa Bowker · Robert Krouse · Wall Street Journal · WMBF
The 1 report is listed beside the record.
Ask this story
Answers cite the reports above, or say they can't.