OPERA1ER hackers steal over $11 million from banks and telcos
Top Stories
Inside scam boiler rooms in Southeast Asia; many people kidnapped and forced into scamming; romance scams common; huge organized scam efforts
Georgia: British man extradited from Cyprus and charged; operated dark web market for login information, credit cards, drugs, botnets; also laundered crypto
New links!
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
- New report on huge volume of crime emanating from China; IP theft, counterfeiting, human trafficking
- BBB partners with Amazon to fight online scam businesses
- Singapore police investigating 310 scammers and money mules
- Toronto: Quebec man arrested and charges for grandparent fraud
- LinkedIn announces new security features and efforts to fight fake profiles
- EFCC in Nigeria announces prison sentences for six yahoo boys guilty of internet fraud
- US customs seizes 130,000 counterfeit eye shadow sticks, ten pallets, shipped from Columbia
- How Scam Survivors has helped fraud victims for years
- Senator Warren urges CFPB to amend Regulation E to address rampant fraud through use of Zelle banking app
- UK charges four more in binary options fraud case; got £1.2 million
Humor
- Man knocks himself out trying to escape robbery
- Man destroys car in Disney World parking lot; leaves a note that says “sorry” and a hundred dollar bill
FTC and CFPB
- CFPB announces plans to ban “junk fees” ; Hidden or undisclosed fees should be banned; but critics point outthat if you eliminate baggage fees on airlines it simply forces everyone to pay a higher cost whether they have bags or not.
- FTC settles with education tech company Clegg over lax data security; company had four data breaches in recent years
- Supreme Court due to consider FTC case soon; thoughts on Constitutional issues it could consider about agency structure
- FTC returns $83,000 to former students of for profit school St James Medical
- FTC settles with Vonage over subscription policies making it hard to cancel; company to provide $100 million in refunds
- CFPB launches investigation of US Bank over fraud in payments of Covid unemployment benefits
Virus Benefit Theft
- Colorado: Man charged with PPP fraud; got more than $1 million
- New York: Man indicted for PPP fraud; also charged with rental fraud; got apartments, didn’t pay rent, used them as hotels
- North Carolina: Jury convicts man of PPP/EIDL fraud; used ID theft to apply; got $84,000
- New York: Two indicted for ID theft to steal unemployment benefits; got $380,000
- South Carolina: Four charged in PPP fraud ring; got more than $1 million
Social media
Business Email compromise fraud
Ransomware
- Hits utility in India Tata Power; leak data on 12 million people
- Attack on Australian Defense Department also gets personal information
- White House to host international meeting on how to tackle ransomware
- Osaka hospital in Japan suspends services because of ransomware attack
- Hits Georgia hospital
- Banks report that customers paid $1 billion in ransomware payments in 2021; double the year before
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency
IRS and tax frauds
- Las Vegas: Mexican man charged with fraud; told victims he was an IRS agent and for money could get them refunds
- West Virginia: Nigerian man convicted by jury of stolen identity refund fraud; operated from Paris and was extradited; got over $2 million
Jamaica and Lottery Fraud
- North Carolina: Jamaican man extradited for lottery fraud
- Florida: Jamaican man gets three years prison for lottery fraud
Romance Fraud and Sextortion