Bar Harbor’s school department has been targeted in an attempted online scheme to divert and steal payments meant to go to a school contractor, town officials said Friday afternoon.
“The fraudulent account that received the diverted funds has been frozen, and efforts are underway to recover the full amount,” Bar Harbor officials said in a statement.
Information about how much money is involved, and what kind of payment was being made — and to whom — was not available Friday. Liz Graves, Bar Harbor’s town clerk, said she could not provide additional comments about the investigation.
The town is in the midst of building a new $58 million K-8 school to replace the aging Conners-Emerson School.
The town has notified law enforcement and has communicated with its financial institutions to ensure its accounts remain secure, town officials said. It also has filed an insurance claim to formally notify the town’s insurer of the breach.
“The FBI is now actively investigating and leading the response to this crime,” the town said. “While the outcome is not yet certain, this development is encouraging, and we remain hopeful that the funds may be fully restored.”
The town is working with its auditors and financial institutions to review all procedures and protocols, strengthening safeguards against any further risks, town officials said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and ensure that both the Council and the public are kept informed as more details become available,” they said.
