Woman Loses $33,000 in Sophisticated Water and Sewage Fee Scam

Shiri Rot Gal, involved in a construction project, was targeted by a sophisticated scam involving fraudulent water and sewage fee demands. The fraudsters posed as representatives of the Ramat Hasharon municipality, sending official-looking WhatsApp messages with accurate details and seemingly legitimate payment requests. Rot Gal initially paid approximately $33,000 (122,000 shekels) after receiving a payment voucher that included the municipality's logo and bank details for a company named 'Sharunim', identified as the water company for Ramat Hasharon.

Suspicion arose when, a week later, she received another demand for a similar fee. This time, the bank account details were for a different bank branch in Dimona, and the first payment had been to a different bank. Upon checking with the municipality, Rot Gal discovered the demands were fraudulent. The scammers had obtained specific project details, including the owner of the land and the stage of the project, suggesting a potential leak of information from the municipality or complicity from within.

Rot Gal explained that bank transfers do not verify the recipient's name against the account holder's name, allowing scammers to direct funds to any account as long as the account number, bank, and branch are correct. She is now exploring the possibility of a class-action lawsuit against the banks, citing negligence for not verifying the legitimacy of the transactions. She also noted that other contractors have been defrauded of millions through similar schemes.

Rot Gal reported the incident to the police, providing all available details, including account numbers and phone numbers. However, she stated that the police have not made any arrests and could not provide information on the progress of the investigation. She advises others to always visit the municipality in person to verify such payments to avoid falling victim to similar scams.