In the wake of a $1-million theft from the City of Saskatoon, our city’s Treasurer says they’re doing their best to spot similar fraud attempts.
Saskatoon officials revealed they were hit by an online scam where a thief impersonated an executive from a Saskatoon-area construction firm.
City officials say they were told the company had updated its bank information, and ended up sending the fraudster a payment intended for the company.
Linda Evans notes they are aware of fraud schemes targeting municipalities, and take steps to avoid falling victim to one.
“A request from a company to change a bank account are not actions based solely on an email by a single individual, or a phone call. We require information from multiple sources to support the request, and would take additional steps to verify that the request is legitimate.
The city official adds such scams are becoming more common, noting the City of Ottawa has also been targeted.
“There’s no doubt that threats are always evolving, and we need to be diligent in this area.”
