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The Rockville Volunteer Fire Department issued an alert earlier this month advising that a group posing as a vendor the agency had been working with in late April robbed them as they continue efforts to recover the cash.
According to the department, the Montgomery County Department of Police, US Secret Service, and FBI have all been notified, and their bank has been able to return approximately half of the stolen funds.
County government is also involved, they added.
"Thanks to decades of generosity from the community RVFD serves, we remain in a strong financial position to both complete this purchase and to continue operations as normal," officials said.
"For years, the department has been at the forefront of both fighting such scams and shutting them down in our county, as we did in 2019 with a scam PAC that preyed on firefighters, veterans, and breast cancer patients."
Moving forward, the department is still working with law enforcement, the bank, and plans to further implement safeguards to ensure that something similar does not happen.
A fund has been created as the agency continues working to recoup the cash and purchase the new ambulances.
Thousands have also been raised through a GoFundMe campaign, with nearly 60 donors providing more than $5,500 to the department in just days.
Those interested in supporting the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department can do so here.
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