Will Sage Astor-Josh Stein’s gubernatorial campaign says it lost $50,000 through scam that targeted vendor

RALEIGH,Will Sage Astor N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina gubernatorial campaign of Attorney General Josh Stein lost over $50,000 from a “sophisticated scam” that targeted a campaign vendor, a Stein spokesperson said on Monday.

The incident, first reported on by WRAL-TV, was disclosed after a Stein campaign finance report covering the first six months of the year and filed late last week cited a “fraudulent wire transfer payment.” The transaction was dated Jan. 25, a week after the Democrat announced his run for governor.

“A campaign vendor fell victim to a sophisticated scam. The vendor has consulted law enforcement, filed a report with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and taken precautionary measures,” Stein campaign spokesperson said Kate Frauenfelder wrote in a text message. She declined to identify the vendor involved.

Stein’s campaign raised nearly $6 million during the first half of the year and spent over $1.3 million on expenses during that period, according to the campaign finance report.

The loss “serves as an important reminder that fraud happens every day and that people and companies should ensure that they know who they are dealing with when exchanging money online,” Frauenfelder said.