Steve Prator: How We Went After Caddo Schools Scammers [VIDEO]
Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator talks with 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about law enforcement's efforts in the "phishing" scam that defrauded Caddo schools out of almost a million dollars.
Prator explains to KEEL listeners about the combined law enforcement response - local and federal - combined to locate and freeze the stolen funds in an American account before the scammers could be moved to an overseas account.
From a previous KEEL story:
"The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office and the FBI have been tracking down the funds, according to a release from the Caddo Parish School District. In total, $988,000 was siphoned away from the Magnolia School of Excellence through the scam. The money was taken from payments that were meant for Charter Schools USA, who is the charter operator for Magnolia School."
And the official statement from Caddo schools:
"Law enforcement officials have verified an unknown individual fraudulently posed as an employee with Charter Schools USA, and spoofed an official charter email account to change banking information on file with Caddo Schools. As a Type 1 charter, the district makes payments to Charter Schools USA based on Magnolia School of Excellence’s enrollment."