Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Texas School District Loses $2.3M to Phishing Scam

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 01/13/20

Manor ISD, located outside of Austin, TX, lost $2.3 million in an email phishing scam. Three separate fraudulent transactions happened in November, according to the Manor Police Department. A district employee noticed the discrepancies in December and alerted the police.  

Detective Anne Lopez told a local news station that she frequently sees people and businesses fall victim to online scammers but not of this magnitude involving a school district.

Phishing email scams are attempts to access personal information and can happen by using disguised emails, fake links, ransomware, etc. The police didn’t specify how exactly the illegal transactions happened.

Police and the FBI are still investigating but say they have "strong leads." It’s unclear if the district will get the money back.

Police are warning people to verify links and email addresses before clicking on them or entering information online.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.

  • R.I. District Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Elementary School

    Cranston Public Schools in Cranston, R.I., recently announced the completion of Gladstone Elementary School, according to a news release. The 100,000-square-foot facility serves as a replacement for the 1950s-era former building, and it consolidates the student, faculty, and staff populations of Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools.

  • University of Kentucky Reopens Scovell Hall

    The University of Kentucky recently reopened Scovell Hall, part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), following comprehensive renovations to the 120-year-old facility in Lexington, Ky., according to a news release.