On March 30, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned local governments and public services of continued ransomware attacks that have resulted in a disruption of operational services, risks to public safety, and financial losses. The FBI urges local governments and public services to take steps to prevent and recover from ransomware attacks. The OIG also believes that ransomware has been and will continue to be a threat to LSC grantees. As a result, the risks identified by the FBI in the Private Industry Notification (PIN) apply equally to other organizations such as nonprofit…

Nearly all LSC grantees make use of credit cards and/or purchase cards tied to individual retailers (Sam's Club, Office Depot, and others) to facilitate the process of making recurring or one-time expenditures. Credit cards and purchase cards offer grantees many advantages and allow grantees to make purchases with ease and efficiency.As part of its Fraud Corner Series, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is providing Legal Services Corporation (LSC) grantees with the following information and best practices to assist you in identifying and/or preventing fraud related to the use of credit…

The FBI defines BEC schemes as scams that target businesses that regularly perform wire transfers by compromising official email accounts in an attempt to conduct unauthorized fund transfers. This recent BEC scheme is the first reported scheme that has identified and targeted an LSC grantee's financial institutions in order to gain unauthorized access to their accounts (including both banking and investment accounts).