ESCANABA — The Escanaba Department of Public Safety reported that it has been the victim of a business scam to the tune of almost $29,000.

On Jan. 12, 2021, Escanaba Public Safety began an investigation into a possible fraud complaint where the city of Escanaba was the victim. The city had established a working partnership with Proxima Management to develop the old county jail and Chamber of Commerce sites with grant funding.

EPS said the city received an email on Dec. 28, 2020, which appeared to be from Proxima Management, with an attached invoice asking for $28,949.14 to be paid directly to a vendor. After the money was wired and the invoice paid, it was discovered that Proxima Management’s email had been hacked. According to the IP address used, the hacker was from a location in Cape Town in the Western Cape of South Africa.

The investigation led to the discovery of an elderly California woman being the recipient of the money. The FBI assisted and contact the woman in California. As the investigation progressed, it was discovered that this woman had been involved in similar scams in the past. The investigation has been closed due to the location of the suspects and logistics of getting the suspects to Delta County for possible prosecution.

The investigation failed to reveal any involvement or fault of city employees or local individuals. However, as the victim of the scam, the city has taken steps to prevent this from happening again, EPS said.

The FBI indicated that what took place is referred to a “business email compromise.” EPS said it wants to make the public aware of the FBI Business Email Compromise website at www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/business-emailcompromise. EPS thanks the FBI for its assistance in the investigation. #