Counter Fraud Team Alert: Spear Phishing

The email is being sent from Peter van Gemert, using the email address gemert.finance@gmail.com.

The email reads as follows:

Greetings,

I have in front of me an abandoned transfer file containing details to an escrow account set up in your name. The file shows that you have correctly made an application to have your funds released to you. It is also clearly noted on the file that the beneficiary could not handle the financial commitment required of him.

Due to this the funds were pegged and abandoned. As an international independent external auditor, I think it is very absurd to abandon one's funds for this simple reason.

To tell you the truth I do not believe this to be true and my reason is simply because of the irregularities I noticed while compiling the audit report for the end of the financial year.

I have perfected plans to have these funds released to you within the next 72hrs. Upon your confirmation, I will give you further directives on what to do and the reason why you haven't received your funds.

Regards,
Peter van Gemert

The information contained in this e-mail and any accompanying documents is confidential, may be privileged, and is intended solely for the person and / or entity to whom it is addressed (i.e. those identified in the "To" and "cc" box). They are the property of GEMERT FINANCE LLC. Unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or copying of this communication, or any part thereof, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail in error, please return the e-mail and attachments to the sender and delete the e-mail and attachments and any copy from your system.

It is advised that schools remain vigilant when reviewing emails and that they follow correct procedure, ensuring that emails have been received from a trusted source.

The suggested action is to mark it as spam and delete the email. Any spear phishing attempt should be reported to internal.audit@kent.gov.uk.