You Got Scammed!
April 21, 2016 — Cybercriminals snag $1.9 million co-op down payment in email scam.
A Manhattan couple wired a $1.9 million deposit for a new co-op to the seller, only to learn that the AOL email account was a scam. Now the couple, Robert and Bethany Millard, have filed suit in state Supreme Court against their real estate attorney, Patricia Doran, claiming she used an AOL email account that lacked computer security and essentially invited hackers to snatch their money, the Real Deal reports.
Last November, the unidentified hackers posed as Doran and instructed the Millards to send their 10 percent deposit for a $19.4 million apartment to the seller’s bank account, which was actually an account set up by the scammers. Once they had the money, the hackers emailed Doran to tell her the money had been safely deposited. Doran then forwarded the message to the Millards, the lawsuit claims.
Doran, according to the suit, was “oblivious to the threat of cybercrime, and did nothing to protect the Millards’ interests from this form of fraud.”
The Millards were able to recoup all but $200,000 of the purloined deposit. They’re seeking that amount and additional damages in their lawsuit.
Caveat emptor.