Franklin County's collector's office in Union took a roughly $45,000 hit from a phishing scam in 2025, according to county officials. A suspect has been taken into custody, and insurance proceeds covered most of the loss. The case is still under investigation as officials work to understand how the scheme slipped past the county's safeguards.
As reported by the Washington Missourian, the phishing incident occurred last year and resulted in about $45,000 being diverted from a county collector account. The outlet reports that a suspect was later apprehended in connection with the scam and that county leaders used insurance proceeds to make the county whole for most of the loss.
County collector's office and response
According to Franklin County's website, Doug Trentmann is the county collector and the office is located at 400 E Locust, Room 103 in Union. Taxpayers can pay bills by mail, phone, or online, with the county's payment portal and a phone payment line offered as alternatives to walking into the office. The collector's page also lists a direct email address for questions about tax bills and receipts.
Phishing risk is up nationwide
Phishing and spoofing were the single largest complaint category in 2025, with 191,561 reports and about $215.8 million in reported phishing losses, according to the FBI. The IC3 report found overall cybercrime losses topped $20.8 billion last year, a number that has prompted federal outreach to governments and smaller organizations. The Franklin County case tracks with a national trend of business-email-compromise and payment-fraud schemes that increasingly target public entities.
How residents can protect themselves
Officials and federal agencies advise people to ignore unsolicited emails that ask for payment or urge you to click links, and to confirm any payment request by calling the phone number printed on a bill or by using the county's official portal. If you suspect a scam, report it to the FTC and to your local police so investigators can track patterns. The county's online and phone payment options are intended to reduce the need to share sensitive payment information through email or text.
Legal status
County officials told the Washington Missourian that a suspect was apprehended in connection with the scam and that the investigation is ongoing. Prosecutors had not announced formal charges publicly as of the Missourian's report. Anyone with information was asked to contact local law enforcement.
