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Office of the Washington State Auditor

@wastateauditor.bsky.social

Working on behalf of the public to promote accountability and transparency of government in Washington state. Learn more at https://sao.wa.gov.

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Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · 7h ago

As this story highlights, cyberattacks are targeting critical drinking-water systems across the U.S. To support local governments in our state as they respond to these evolving threats, our Office provides a range of cybersecurity resources: https://sao.wa.gov/resource-library/Cybersecurity

At least 12 states face cyberattacks on their water systems, sources say

Possible cyber intrusions targeting water and wastewater utilities have now been reported in at least a dozen states, multiple sources told ABC News.

abcnews.com

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · yesterday

Audit reports published by our Office earlier today reveal nearly $150,000 in misappropriation by a local fire district between 2018-24 including missing computers, unsupported employee reimbursements and more. Get more details in our latest blog post.

Audits find misappropriations, mismanagement continued at Mason County Fire District 12 | Office of the Washington State Auditor

The latest audits of a troubled Mason County fire district show its well-documented disregard for the protection of public funds continued for years until its governing board was replaced in 2024.

sao.wa.gov

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · 5d ago

This story by Lynnwood Times, highlighting a $7K phishing loss for a local government, puts the importance of internal payment controls squarely in the spotlight. Governments can find fraud prevention resources on our website: https://sao.wa.gov/resource-library/Fraud-Prevention

Washington State Auditor's Office urge Lynnwood to strengthen internal controls after 2024 cyberfraud loss - Lynnwood Times

A phishing scheme in 2024 led the City of Lynnwood to deposit $7,158 in payroll funds into a fraudulent bank account, exposing gaps in the city’s in

lynnwoodtimes.com

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · 6d ago

FRAUD INVESTIGATION FOLLOW-UP: A former state employee who was the subject of a fraud investigation by our Office has been sentenced for theft involving more than $50,000 in fraudulent Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) claims. Read our original report here: https://ow.ly/We7e50Zush1

Former Washington State Employee Sentenced for Theft of $50,000 from Paid Family Leave and Unemployment Insurance Programs

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

justice.gov

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · last wk.

Accessing federal funding is essential—but so is understanding the risks. Explore SAO’s updated Federal Program Risk Assessment Tool to help identify, prioritize, and address risks. Learn more in our latest blog post.

Are you evaluating the risks to your federal programs? SAO has a new tool to get you started | Office of the Washington State Auditor

We first published this article in April 2022. We’ve since updated the Federal Risk Assessment Checklist for 2026, as well as the links in the original article below. Here's what's new in this resource:

sao.wa.gov

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · last wk.

Why WA’s certification process for home care aides is getting bogged down washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/07/28/w... For added context to this story by @washingtonstatestandard.com about our work, you can read a summary and key findings here: sao.wa.gov/reports-data...

Why WA’s certification process for home care aides is getting bogged down • Washington State Standard

The certification process in Initiative 1163 for home care aides has been rife with bottlenecks, according to a new state audit.

washingtonstatestandard.com

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · 2w ago

Calling all local governments: Discover eight easy steps you can take right now to properly monitor your credit card inventory and reduce fraud risk. Learn more in our recent blog post. 💳

Have you done your annual credit card inventory? | Office of the Washington State Auditor

As first mentioned in our recently updated resource, Best practices for credit card programs (PDF), reviewing your credit card program each year can help ensure only appropriate people have credit cards, credit limits do not exceed business needs, and that you received the proper rebate

sao.wa.gov

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · 2w ago

Great read from ACFE! If we had a dollar for every time we said "Trust is not an internal control..."

Trust Creates Vulnerabilities: A Look at Government Fraud and How to End the Cycle — Fraud Conference News

It’s a continuing trend in the headlines: Fraudsters are exploiting government-funded programs or targeting public-sector organizations directly. Fraudsters targeted Medicare. A child nutrition program was exploited in Minnesota. Hundreds of millions of dollars in California welfare benefits were st

fraudconferencenews.com

Office of the Washington State Auditor@wastateauditor.bsky.social · 3w ago

UPDATE ALERT: We've revised our popular 'Best Practices for Credit Card Programs' guide for local governments. What's new? How does it affect you? Find out in our recent blog post today.

Take charge of your credit card program. Implement our updated best practices today! | Office of the Washington State Auditor

The State Auditor's Office has updated its Best Practices for Credit Card Programs resource. We’ve added more best practices to our resource, about 14 in total, to help local governments better manage the risk that comes with having a credit card program.

sao.wa.gov