Potential Fraudulent Call Targeting County Departments & Vendors
We want to share the following advisory as a precaution. This specific incident did not involve our office directly, but we believe it is a useful reminder given the nature of the attempted fraud.
We have been made aware of a potentially fraudulent call made to a vendor by a third party claiming to represent the county’s Accounts Payable function. In the reported instance, the caller claimed to be the entity’s “new A/P” and appeared to be attempting to change or redirect the vendor’s existing payment process. The vendor appropriately declined and notified the County.
We ask that you please make your staff aware of this activity and remind them to exercise heightened caution when receiving unsolicited phone calls related to Accounts Payable or vendor management. We also encourage you to notify your vendors, particularly those with whom you have regular payment activity, to be cautious of unsolicited communications claiming to represent your district regarding Accounts Payable or changes to payment arrangements.
Vendors should be reminded not to provide banking or other sensitive information, change payment instructions, or otherwise act on an unsolicited request without independently verifying it through their established contact at your district.
If your district or one of your vendors receives a similar communication, please let us know so we can help track whether this activity is more widespread.
Thank you for helping protect your district and your vendors from potential payment fraud.
Regards,
School Business Advisory Services Team Santa Barbara County Education Office sbasweb.sbceo.org
Note: This message was sent on behalf of the School Business Advisory Services Team. Please do not respond to this message. Replies will be routed to an unmonitored mailbox.
To unsubscribe, click here<mailto:sbasfinance@sbceo.org?subject=Unsubscribe>