Friday, June 25, 2021

Please Let me be very very clear … Nearly half of all Covid unemployment benefits may have been stolen by scammers; $400 billion lost?; at least 70% overseas

Bravo to Niki Savva for walking away from The Australian after it calls it a day on journalism and lurches much further into irreversible Soviet-style government protection and fanaticism by bringing Peta Credlin on board. RIP The Australian.
The political economy of taxation
A new paper
from the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute makes the case for a more deliberate and expansive consideration of political economy issues in the context of Australian tax policy. The paper proposes a number of areas of analysis to further develop an understanding of Australia’s tax policy landscape.
 
TODAY ONLY! Economics Committee to scrutinise insurance sector following year of COVID-19 and natural disasters
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hear from the Insurance Council of Australia, as well as from a range of insurers at a public hearing via videoconference today, as part of its ongoing Review of the Four Major Banks and other Financial Institutions. The hearings was live webcast, from 9:15am to 5:15pm and transcript will be available next week

  

 

Know a romance fraud victim who is still troubled after the scam?
Not for profit Cybercrime support network offering free online support group for romance fraud victims

  • Ten week moderated program
  • US victims only at this point
  • Also has a closed Facebook page for victims

 
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center releases report on fraud against older victims in 2020

  • 28% of complaints by those over 60
  • Losses of $1 billion; $300 million more than 2019
  • Most losses by romance fraud victims

Extensive article on how Mexico fought a Romanian ATM skimming gang in Cancun; gang owned its own corporation and ATM machines
 
Worldwide online free trial offer/subscription trap scam traced to Montreal; hundreds of millions lost
 
Theft of log in information of 26 million for Amazon, Facebook, Apple
 
Joint effort by the US, Romania, Germany, the Netherlands takes down online fraud marketplace Slilpp; over a dozen arrested; over $200 million lost due to stolen credentials sold on the site 

Why Buffalo, New York, is the hub of crooked debt collectors; ties to the mafia 
 
Operator of business directory operation in Canada indicted in Canada; started ripping off Canadians after FTC case and then criminal charges/prison in the US
 
BBB Studies. Here are links to some of the study topics: puppy fraud, tech support fraud, romance fraud money mules, apartment rental, crooked movers, government imposters, online vehicle sale scams, rental fraud and gift cards.
Coronavirus

Fraud News From Around the world

Humor

FTC and CFPB  

Virus Benefit Theft

Business Email compromise fraud (read BBB study)

Ransomware

ATM skimming

Jamaica and Lottery Fraud (read BBB lottery fraud study)

Romance Fraud and Sextortion (read BBB romance fraud study)