- Office of the Inspector General
Government agencies can fall victim to scammers who use threats or high-pressure sales tactics to trick public employees into paying fraudulent invoices.
The Pension Employee Retirement Administration Commission recently audited the Hampden County Regional Contributory Retirement System (Retirement Board) and found that the Retirement Board paid more than $235,000 to over 50 different entities claiming to provide website-related services such as “search engine optimization” or “online directory listings.” The audit identified 119 bogus invoices, many of which demanded “immediate action.”
This alert provides simple tips on how to identify bogus invoices and report fraudsters to the proper authorities: Alert: Tools to Protect Against Fraud