Kings County was the victim of a fraudulent transaction, which will cost the county around $85,000.
The Kings County Board of Supervisors learned of the loss during its meeting on Tuesday.
The big picture: The fraudulent transaction came when the county issued a $894,000 check to the perpetrator who was posing as a contractor employed by the county in 2021.
- The Kings County Sheriff’s Office recovered about 90 percent of the funds, but the county will have to find a way to make up for the remaining $84,998.
- To make up for the loss, the board unanimously approved to cover the funds from contingencies within the county’s budget.
What they’re saying: Kings County Director of Finance told the board that the county has implemented procedures to prevent fraud since the incident, resulting in the prevention of a handful of attacks since.
- Kings County Sheriff’s sergeant Josh Speer said this type of fraud is a common occurrence and the perpetrator was experienced and had stolen from other counties.
- “These individuals that we were able to find through this process were able to target seven different entities, three of which were other municipalities,” Speer said.
