Dülmen Loses €400,000 in Sophisticated Cyber Fraud Targeting Firetruck Purchase

The German city fell victim to a highly professional scam exploiting insider knowledge, prompting enhanced security measures.

The city of Dülmen in North Rhine-Westphalia was deceived into transferring €400,000 to a fraudulent account during the purchase of two firetrucks.
Betrayers exploited insider knowledge of the legitimate transaction, creating a convincing fake invoice with a falsified bank account.
Despite adhering to the four-eyes principle and involving three separate checks, the scam went undetected by city officials.
The financial loss was shared between the city and the firetruck manufacturer; one vehicle has been delivered, with the second expected later this year.
In response, Dülmen has strengthened its IT systems, improved payment verification processes, and conducted staff training to prevent future incidents.