(Photo : Reuters)

The government of Puerto Rico has lost $2.6 million due to an e-mail phishing scam, stated a Puerto Rican official.

Losing the $2.6 Million

Rubén Rivera, the finance director of the Puerto Rican Industrial Development Company, stated through court documents filed on Wednesday that the government agency had transferred the said total number of funds to a fraudulent account on January 17. 

It was reported that the amount was transferred to a different bank account (connected to remittance payments) after the receipt of an e-mail. It is still uncertain whether the government can still go after the lost money.

What is E-mail Phishing?

Phishing is a type of scam conducted through the internet. This occurs when criminals try to send e-mails that look similar to a legitimate business's e-mail. This often asks a victim for confidential information.

This typically occurs after a victim clicks a link. The link normally looks like the original thing but it is not. The information provided in the link will then be collected by the attacker. This sensitive information collected by the attacker can then be used for unauthorized access to online accounts and other unlawful means. 

Puerto Rico: Still Under Recovery 

This United States territory nation is still in the process of recovering from its 13 years of recession. The recession had caused the government of the island to employ severe measures for its recovery. 

Also, the series of natural disasters such as earthquakes had contributed to the recession in the country. 

Additionally, Puerto Rico is still in the stage of recovery from the destruction that Hurricane Maria had caused. The hurricane was reported to have hit the island in 2017. It destroyed multiple buildings in the country. 

An article from Fox News stated that the series of unfortunate disasters and events in Puerto Rico had affected the increasing number of Puerto Rican immigrants in the mainland United States of America.

The United States' Assistance Fund for Puerto Rico

The Democratic Party had criticized the administration of Donald Trump. They were criticized for withholding the $18 billion worth of emergency assistance to the island.

In the previous month, the Trump administration stated that it will be releasing $8.3 billion to the island. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had held up the said amount due to the doubts of the fund's proper management by the island's government.

On Wednesday, the Democratic Party members on the House Budget Committee pointed their fingers to the Office of Management and Budget for making it difficult for the HUD to ask for the funds.

According to Russel Vought, the acting chief of the budget office, the office does not want the funds for the reconstruction of Puerto Rica due to Hurricane Maria to go to waste. He expressed how the office wants to help Puerto Ricans. 

Also, the office wants to ensure that the government of Puerto Rico does not receive the entire amount. The reason for not giving them the lump sum is to prevent their political system from being overwhelmed with the fund. This will prevent another governor in the island to resign due to corruption. This is referenced on Ricardo Rosselló's resignation after a week-long protest against him.