Laurens County Officials Provide Update on $1.5 Million Wire Fraud Investigation

Laurens County officials have released additional details regarding the wire fraud scheme that resulted in more than $1.5 million in county funds being sent to cyber criminals earlier this year.

The lawsuit related to the incident was officially filed in the Laurens County Court of Common Pleas on March 5, 2026, as the county continues efforts to recover the funds and determine how the fraud occurred.

According to county officials, Laurens County is working closely with multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of the ongoing investigation.

In addition to the criminal investigation, the county has taken several steps in an effort to recover the funds. Officials said recall requests for the wire transfers have been issued to the banks involved, and the county has retained multiple law firms to assist with the recovery process. Those firms include Mullen Coughlin LLC, McDonald Hopkins LLC, and Smith Robinson Holler DuBose and Morgan LLC, all of which have experience handling cyber incidents and related litigation.

Laurens County has also filed claims with its insurance carriers and expressed confidence that a combination of insurance coverage and successful recall of the fraudulent wire transfers will ultimately allow the county to recover the lost funds.

“It is the county’s expectation that through insurance coverage and the successful recall of the wire transfers, the residents of Laurens County will be made whole,” officials stated in the update.

The incident, first revealed earlier this week through a lawsuit filed on behalf of the county, alleges that cyber criminals began posing as a county contractor in mid-December 2025. The perpetrators reportedly sent fraudulent electronic funds transfer instructions via email, directing county officials to wire funds to a bank account at Wells Fargo.

Between December 29, 2025, and January 13, 2026, county officials made four separate wire transfers totaling $1,558,288.09 before the fraud was discovered.

In response to the incident, a forensic audit of the county’s computer systems was conducted by the South Carolina Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Division of SLED. The county also retained Charles River Associates, a national consulting firm, to conduct an independent forensic investigation.

Beyond the investigation, Laurens County officials say additional steps are being taken to strengthen internal cybersecurity protections. The county has partnered with the South Carolina Association of Counties to provide updated cybersecurity training for county employees.

Officials said further remedial and mitigating measures are ongoing as the county works to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The investigation remains active, and additional details may be released as the case moves forward.