On Friday, 1/30/2015, the Wayland Police Department began an investigation into a computer crime and attempted fraud that resulted in unknown persons gaining access to one of the town’s bank accounts. 

Investigation revealed that malware on a town computer was used to gain pertinent bank account information and codes.  A bogus telephone call, purporting to be from the bank, gained additional information.

Several illegal attempts were made to wire funds from the Wayland bank account with Unibank, to several overseas and domestic banks.  All of these attempts were stopped by Unibank and the town did not suffer any financial loss.  The fraudulent wire transfers that were attempted totaled more than four million dollars.

The Wayland Police Department has sought the assistance of the F.B.I. in investigating this case.  A Supervisory Special Agent in Charge of Securities and Corporate Fraud has accepted the case.  The Wayland Police Department, the town’s Information Technology staff and the Treasurer’s Office have assisted in this investigation for the past month.  The town has also upgraded computer security and worked with the bank to insure the town’s funds remain secure.

The case remains under investigation.

Submitted by Chief Irving, Wayland Police Department

Town Crier coverage of the attempted theft is online here.