Massachusetts Clean Energy Center mistakenly wires $93,679 in public funds to a Cyberscammer bank account
According to the audit by State Auditor Suzanne Bump, leaders at the MassCEC were slow to report the fraudulent transfer to law enforcement and their board of directors. As a result, the agency only recovered $25,261 in stolen funds.
A spokesman for MassCEC told the I-Team the agency has since taken a number of steps to prevent future issues including requiring all employees to take an annual IT security training course and implementing additional controls around verification of wire transfers.
“The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center takes seriously its responsibility as a steward of public funds and, upon discovering a fraudulent wire transfer in February 2017, immediately engaged in a comprehensive internal review and implemented a number of new processes designed to identify fraudulent activity and prevent theft,” read a statement from MassCEC spokesman Craig Gilvarg.
The MassCEC uses the proceeds of the Renewable Energy Trust to fund its operations. That account is funded through a surcharge paid by utility company ratepayers.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/06/1...-cyberscammer/