New software protects St. Johns County taxpayers from scam attempt

ST AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A new vendor management system called PaymentWorks helped protect St. Johns County from a scam attempt, the St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller announced in a news release Thursday.

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According to the news release, a county employee recently reported a customer wanting to update banking information in a suspiciously urgent manner. The employee directed the customer to PaymentWorks, but the customer persisted on contacting the government agency.

The employee contacted the vendor, and it was discovered the call was a scam involving a fraudulent mirror copy of the real vendor’s email address.

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“PaymentWorks has provided the comptroller’s office a level of security and reassurance that we did not have prior to its implementation,” St. Johns County Clerk’s Office Chief Financial Officer Dwala Anderson said in the news release.

The St. Johns County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Office manages about 13,000 vendors.

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The news release said the new platform has significantly enhanced the financial integrity of the county, “ensuring that taxpayer dollars are shielded against fraud.”

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