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County Scammed: Taxpayer Cash Washed Away
15 Jun
Summary
- County lost over $20,000 due to a check-washing scam.
- An $881 check was altered to $20,881, then lost.
- The scam victim was a Florida woman also facing identity theft.
Williamson County commissioners have approved writing off over $20,000 in taxpayer money lost to a sophisticated check-washing scam. The incident involved a county payment originally for $881.08, which was intercepted, chemically altered to $20,881.08, and then fraudulently deposited.
Investigations traced the altered check to a woman in Florida. However, authorities determined this individual was also an identity theft victim. With little chance of recovery, county officials formally removed the loss from their books.
This scam occurred in 2024. The county had previously warned residents about similar check-washing incidents, including one where a property tax check for over $3,000 disappeared and another altered to over $8,000.
In response to the loss, Williamson County has implemented new safeguards, including a banking system called positive pay, which verifies checks against an approved list before clearing. Staff training and additional internal checks have also been put in place to prevent future occurrences.
