Erie sues insurer over $1M scam claim

ERIE — Erie is suing National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for breach of contract over the insurer’s alleged refusal to pay a claim filed after the town was scammed out of more than $1 million. 

The fraud, which occurred in late 2019, involved the mistaken payment of $1.01 million to a scammer claiming to be SEMA Construction Inc., the firm contracted to build Erie Parkway Bridge. 

In October 2019, an unknown person accessed Erie’s website and obtained a vendor payment form. The scammer then completed it using SEMA’s information and uploaded it.