Cyberthieves trick a Central Jersey town into wiring them $26 million, mayor says

From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know. Cyberthieves stole $26 million in housing funds from Cranbury Township, New Jersey, in September, according to a message posted last week on the municipality’s website. In the post, Mayor Lisa Knierim described a sophisticated financial theft involving the wire transfer of funds meant for the purchase of property for the township s affordable housing program. Law enforcement officials in Central Jersey are working with the FBI to solve the crime. Knierim said law enforcement was working around the clock to recover the money. So far, she said that “investigators have successfully frozen assets totaling nearly $17.3 million.” During a crowded meeting at the public library Monday night, Knierim said her heart is “broken,” telling residents, “your anger is valid.” She said “a lack of oversight and a severe clerical error had led to the fraudulent wire tran