Australia warns businesses of need to back up any green claims they make for products
Justice Department issues report on crypto; launches national network for law enforcement efforts
- Explores 1. crypto as a payment method; 2. as a method of laundering money; and 3. attacks on the crypto system
- Discusses new digital assets network; coordinating prosecutions, training, every US Attorney to have a point person
- Report itself here
- Ads that are disguised as independent articles;
- Subscription traps and free trial offers
- Burying key points in terms and conditions
- Tricking consumers into providing personal information
- Full study here
FBI warns the scammers are now stealing large sums from healthcare company, using BEC techniques and redirecting funds
Notes and Observations: I haven’t received a robocall in over a week. Is it just me, or have some of efforts to combat this scourge started to pay off?
Review and Recommendation: I just watched The Magnificent Seven again. It is truly a great movie. Wonderful music, good contrast between farmers, a crooked gang, and of course the good guys, with a great cast.
New link to Optus fiasco !
Fraud Studies: Here are links to the studies I’ve written for the Better Business Bureau: puppy fraud, romance fraud; BEC fraud, sweepstakes/lottery fraud, tech support fraud, romance fraud money mules, crooked movers, government imposters, online vehicle sale scams, rental fraud, gift cards, free trial offer frauds, job scams, online shopping fraud, and crypto scams
Fraud News Around the world
- EFCC in Nigerian arrests two owners of Yahoo fraud school
- Pittsburgh: Man pleads guilty to fraud for helping India call rooms make calls claiming to the IRS; used hundreds of cell phones to make calls connecting those answering to callers in India
- Cleveland: Man gets 38 months prison for credit card fraud; used identity theft to steal from seniors
- Big data brokers are selling lists of elderly and other potential victims to scammers, and that may not be illegal
- Singapore: 322 people being investigated for scams or acting as money mules
- Tech support ads appearing in Microsoft Edge browser
- Thieves in London are stealing phones and credit cards while people are at the gym
- Australia warns businesses of need to back up any green claims they make for products
- Study by Socialcatfish on scams says scam losses doubled between 2019-2021 from $3.5 billion to $6.9 billion; Study itself here is 56 pages, and has interesting content -- but doesn’t provide citations to support
- Steps to protect your parents from scams by AARP
- Maryland Police throw world’s biggest pot party
- Guinea pig awareness day canceled for Queen’s funeral
- We missed Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept. 19
- Opinion: Could the FTC lose its antitrust authority?
- FTC issues policy statement on the gig economy, warns of deception to recruit workers, problems with paying workers, and potential antitrust problems; approved 3-2 New policy statement here
- FTC issues proposed rule on government and business impersonation scams; would allow the FTC to get civil penalties from violators
- Ads for scam companies increasingly are appearing at the top of search results
- FTC and California shut down mortgage relief scam
- Court rejects challenge to CFPB funding mechanism
- Group of former FTC staff write letter to Chair Khan criticizing her approaches to issues Does anyone have a copy of the letter? Could you send along if you do?
- DOJ sets up three Covid fraud task force teams in Florida, California and Maryland
- Missouri: Man indicted for PPP fraud; got $12.4 million
- Wales sees increase in “Hello Mum” grandparent scams now using text messages
- California: Woman arrested for using identities of prisoners to obtain Covid unemployment benefits; got at least $500,000
- Los Angeles rapper who discussed stealing unemployment benefits in his music and on his social media arrested for stealing unemployment benefits; got $1.2 million
- Secret Service has seized $286 million taken by crooks in covid benefit scams
- DOJ indicts 47 from group that got $250 million from Child nutrition program during covid
- Texas: Man gets 14 months prison for PPP fraud; got $125,000
- San Diego: Man gets 57 months prison for unemployment benefit fraud
- District of Columbia: Man gets 10 years prison for PPP fraud; tried to get $31 million
- Phoenix: Woman formerly with Phoenix police gets 15 months prison for PPP fraud; got $1.25 million
- Attack on local government of Suffolk County, on Long Island
- Hits New York ambulance service; also steals data
- Hacker broke into U-Haul systems to get customer contract information
- SEC settles with Morgan Stanley over failure to adequately protect customer data; to pay $35 million
- Hackers get into internal systems at Uber
- Los Angeles: Man gets 38 months prison for investment scam involving Bitconnect Ponzi scheme; made $24 million
- SEC issues cease and desist order to Sparkster for unregistered sales of crypto; to pay $35 million