A volunteer fire department in Maryland suffered a loss of over $200,000 last month when cybercriminals stole funds earmarked for the purchase of two new ambulances. The Rockville Volunteer Fire Department reported that someone posing as a vendor they were working with managed to divert $220,000 to an overseas account.
The theft occurred during a wire transfer process, where the bank routing number was altered after intercepting an email thread. As reported by WJLA-TV, RVFD President Eric Bernard explained that a slight change in an email letter was all it took for the fraudulent activity to go undetected. Despite efforts to recover almost half of the stolen funds, it may take months for the department to retrieve the money.
Both the Montgomery County Police Department and the FBI have launched investigations into the incident. The RVFD, which has been serving its community for over a century, is now accepting donations through the Ambulance Recovery Fund to help replace the lost funds and purchase new ambulances.
