Surfside Beach loses $545K in email scam; contractor cites ignored red flags

A payment of $545,598 intended for Wildcat Construction has become the focus of an ongoing fraud investigation in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, after the money was allegedly redirected to a scammer-controlled bank account through a sophisticated email scam. The fraud began during what appeared to be a routine email conversation about issuing payment for completed work.

By TOI WORLD DESK