Phishing scam in 2022 cost Memphis taxpayers $773K
After the incident, the city mandated training for staff in the finance department and put back controls that had existed before the COVID-19 pandemic. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
An alleged 2022 phishing scam cost Memphis taxpayers $773,695.45, according to public records obtained by The Daily Memphian.
Rumors about the scam abounded in Memphis City Hall for years and earned a passing mention during a Memphis City Council budget hearing this spring.
The Daily Memphian requested all records associated with it. The city returned a document identifying a single $773,695.45 transaction Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.
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