'I don't think my taxes should go up:' Taxpayers react to school district conned out of $840K

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It started with an email.

An impostor, claiming to represent the construction company CG Schmidt, asked a West Allis-West Milwaukee district employee for bank information.

The fake email said "sgschnnidt," instead of "cgschmidt," but the money was sent.

 "As is not uncommon in these types of cases, the accounts bounce around at various locations within the country, and ultimately go overseas," West Allis Police Deputy Operations Chief Christopher Botsch said.

After tracking the money overseas, West Allis Police reached out to the FBI to help recover just more than $840,000.

"The large dollar value in this one certainly was an impetus for us to reach out to the FBI," Botsch said.

Parents were shocked at the cost of the mistake.

“You know, that’s sad. Most of that money is used to keep up with the school maintenance and all that stuff, and there’s a lot of shady people out there.”

Taxpayers voted down a school funding referendum $12.5 million district budget increase in 2017, only for the state to approve a $15.8 million dollar increase in loans that year.

Homeowners say they shouldn’t have to pay any more because of this.

"I don't think my taxes should go up because of their huge screw up," homeowner Denise Gerber-Karlinsky said.

The money was just part of the payment for what was budgeted as an $8 million Recreation and Community Center.