an update<\/a> Monday detailing a subcommittee report given to the State Board of Missions at its Aug. 24-25 meeting held at the Baptist Building in Jacksonville. \u00a0<\/p>\nThe subcommittee had worked with state and federal investigators, auditors, and experts in cyber-forensics to determine the source of the online theft that occurred earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigation revealed no criminal activity on the part of any Florida Baptist Convention staff person but instead concluded that the crime was the result of sophisticated cybertargeting by, at this point, unknown perpetrators,\u201d reported the FBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe subcommittee\u2019s work culminated in the recommendation for strengthened financial protocols and ongoing training for convention staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
FBC Executive Director-Treasurer Tommy Green was quoted in the update apologizing for the incident, the nature of which he had not previously encountered in about 40 years of ministry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will move forward. We are better, and we\u2019ll continue to get better,\u201d said Green, who added that \u201cchurches are learning from the convention\u2019s fraudulent experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FBC went on to list various \u201cbest practices to help churches protect their financial assets,\u201d including staff training on identifying emails that might be suspicious and cyberattacks of a \u201csophisticated\u201d nature, enabling \u201cmultifactor authentication logins\u201d when possible, verifying verbally all changes made to payment instructions regarding accounts payable or payroll, talk with insurance agents about coverage for cyberattack experiences, and engaging a professional in cybersecurity for analysis on information technology security.<\/p>\n
In May, the FBC announced<\/a> that it had been the victim of a theft that involved \u201chighly sophisticated cybercrime which used fraudulent emails\u201d and stole more than $700,000.<\/p>\n\u201cWe are currently working with forensic auditors and legal authorities to determine how this crime occurred. Meanwhile, we remain confident in our [Southern Baptist Convention] entities, their financial and structural integrity and our missional financial partnerships,\u201d the FBC continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fraud was accomplished with a general knowledge of the communications and practice between the SBC entity and the convention.\u201d<\/p>\n
The May announcement noted that \u201cour convention staff and state board of missions are distraught over this loss of financial resources\u201d and that while the FBC did not suspect any staff were culpable, they were still committed to fully investigating the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is our desire in all that we do to bring glory to our Lord and Savior, and to continue earning the trust of the churches we serve when we distribute the sacrificial resources given through tithes and offerings,\u201d the FBC added in its May statement.<\/p>\n
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