Scammers hack building firm’s emails and con customer into paying £130K

Scammers hack building firm’s emails and con customer into paying £130K

During the so-called ‘impersonation scam’, the fraudsters diverted email correspondence from the customer into a hidden account.

They then secretly exchanged emails with the individual while posing as the building firm, and asked them to make the invoice payment into a new bank account.

The building company, who want to remain anonymous, only became aware of the scam when they were contacted by the client to say they had paid the money, as requested, into the ‘new account’. Both the building firm and the customer acted quickly and the money was recovered.

Describing the experience, one of the building firm’s owners said: ‘I felt sick – distraught. I couldn’t sleep through anxiety. But, now it’s all over, it’s such a relief. I now feel more confident with my understanding of cyber security and the protection that is available.

‘Originally the customer was panicked and was concerned that the funds had been lost. Now that the funds have been recovered and sent, the relationship is okay and we have all agreed we have learned lessons and wouldn’t want to experience it again.’

Chief Inspector Chris Beechey, chairman for the Jersey Fraud Prevention Forum, said that impersonation scams were becoming more common.

‘It’s not just businesses that need to be vigilant – all of us need to be,’ he said.

‘Fraudsters are taking increasingly sophisticated steps to try to trick us, posing as organisations and people we know.

‘As many of us continue to face challenges posed by the coronavirus, coupled with the potential stresses of Christmas, we want to remind Islanders not to drop their guard. We’re appealing to everyone to stay alert and report any new frauds and scams, no matter how small. Even if you don’t fall victim, by notifying us, our members or the police, you could prevent someone else from being caught out.’

One of the most high-profile impersonation scams in the Channel Islands happened in 2012, when Guernsey States unwittingly paid £2.6 million to cover work on the island’s runway into a account used by a gang of fraudsters.

A civil servant made the payment after receiving correspondence from the conmen falsely claiming that the construction firm carrying out the work had changed its bank details.

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