City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Taken for $1.2m in Email Scam

The city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, fell victim to a $1.2 million fraudulent payment for a construction project. The payment, made to what was believed to be the contractor Moss Construction, turned out to be a scam. The city suspects that the scammers either hacked the construction company or obtained information from public records. Business email compromise and phishing scams targeting city governments have been increasing, with Florida being particularly vulnerable. The city is working with its bank to recover the funds, a process that could take up to a week.