City warns vendors about new phishing scam

The City is warning vendors about a new phishing scam targeting vendors and involving suspicious email and a fake website.

City officials said a vendor recently contacted City staff to report it had received a suspicious email that appeared to come from the City of El Paso.

The email requested the vendor update its information online via a link within the email.

The link directed the vendor to a website that looked like the City’s website, officials said.

The City has reported the apparent scam to law enforcement agencies and its Purchasing Department is contacting vendors registered with the City as a precaution.

Vendors who may have received a similar suspicious email are encouraged to contact the Purchasing Department at (915) 212-1189.

Last year, the City was “duped” and “robbed” of millions of dollars intended for the streetcar project. City officials revealed a person or group pretending to be a vendor scammed the city out of about $3 million by using a phishing scam.

Phishing is when criminals pose as a legitimate person, business or agency to commit fraud. In this case, the fake vendor used email contracts to scam the city.