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According to Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Director of Purchasing Paul Brennan, the scam involves the transfer of fraudulent purchase orders to businesses, which are suspected to come from government agencies.
Typically, scammers will use copycat email addresses to make it seem as though a business is receiving a price request from a local or even federal government agency. Then, the scammers will issue a fraudulent purchase order that originates from a government agency. However, the purchase order will request to have the items shipped to a location that is not associated with the government agency.
Officials say the scammers seem to be targeting companies that sell computer and audio/video equipment. One major red flag is when a purchase order is issued for a quantity much larger than a government agency would typically purchase.
“Businesses should carefully review purchase orders received from government agencies and confirm their authenticity, especially if the quantities ordered are significant and if the requested delivery address differs from the normal delivery address,” said Brennen.
“Any business that wants to validate that they have received an official Rockland County Purchase Order should contact our Purchasing Division at purchasing@co.rockland.ny.us or by calling 845-364-3820,” said Day. “I urge everyone to do their due diligence and not fall victim to these scammers.”
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