Scammers use employee’s name to take $56,000 from county

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina county says it paid scammers $56,000 after they pretended to be a county employee.

Spartanburg County deputies say an impostor used the name and information of a county official to email a former county finance manager asking for a wire transfer of money.

Authorities say employees twice wired money to the imposter’s account.

Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Kevin Bobo told the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg that the county has been able to recover all but about $4,000 of the $56,000 taken.

Bobo says the case remains under investigation and the former manager is not a suspect.

County Administrator Katherine O’Neill says the county increased training about internet fraud and already had procedures in place to try and prevent these types of wire transfers.

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Information from: Herald-Journal, http://www.goupstate.com/