Comment about revenge taken by scammers by victims by Professor Anthony Pratkanis: Historically, these sorts of revenge attacks on con grifters are not uncommon. That is why con criminals have developed extensive methods for "cooling out the mark" and "the blow-off." And they seemed to do that in cases like this as well, either by hiring a legit Uber driver or by placing another (lower level) person who is in on the scam between them and the victim. I think people are becoming increasingly upset and angry at the level of fraud and scams we are all experiencing. A recent study found record levels of people reporting that they had been the target of a fraud attempt and a desire for action to be taken to stop these scams.
US cyber agency issues emergency alert to federal email systems using Microsoft over threats by Russian hackers; must take immediate steps
Brooklyn: Canadian/French citizen gets ten years prison for mass mailing fraud claiming to be a psychic and telling people they would win large sums in a lottery; victims had to send back $20 or more; took in $175 million; used names Maria DuVal and Patrick Guerin
BBB updates my 2020 study on nonexistent vehicles sold online
- Complaints to the BBB jumped sharply in 2023
- Scammers also advertise campers, motorcyles, farm equipment
- New wrinkle is scammers sending people to a fake VIN search site, claiming to be like Carfax; victims enter credit card numbers, get charged
- Three quarters of victims over 45
- Original study here
- In order, Russia, Ukraine, China, US, Nigeria, Romania, and North Korea
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, fake check fraud and crypto scams
Fraud News Around the world
- New York: Police arrest two (Chinese?) men who impersonated Homeland Security agents in scam and went to victim’s home to pick up $100,000 in gold
- Real estate tycoon in Viet Nam sentenced to death over massive fraud
- Europol announces arrest of nine in effort against JuicyField Cannabis investment fraud that took in €645 million
- Fake businesses using synthetic identities increasingly obtain, and steal, loans from banks
- Boston: Man (Nigerian?) gets 27 months prison for fraud in investments supposedly supporting sports teams in Africa
- New Zealand: Banks press for a national anti-scam call center
- FBI IC3 warns of big increase in text message scams claiming people have unpaid tolls; not clear if they want money or personal information
- New York: Nigerian man pleads guilty to laudering electronics sent by victims of romance frauds, job frauds, and online sales of electronics that didn’t exist; took in $12 million worth; shipped goods to Nigeria
- Google sues man in Cameroon over sales of nonexistent pets
- Fraud complaints were up 15% in Quebec last year
- Russian hackers got access to emails between Microsoft and the US government
- Illegal alien from Venezuela tries to rob Ohio bank using translator app
- Woman at the gym in Mexico bites off finger of another woman because she was taking too long on a machine
- FTC sends $6.3 million in refunds to victims of ATT data throttling
- FTC settles with Telehealth company for sharing sensitive data with advertisers; to pay $7 million
- MGM sues FTC to end probe over hacking incident at casinos; asks to have FTC chair recused
- FTC settles with ringleader of student loan debt scam
- CFPB gets order against San Francisco for-profit school, claiming deception in hiring rates and nature of loans
- Boston: Man arrested for PPP fraud
- Boston: Man gets 27 months prison for PPP fraud; got $1.5 million
- Georgia: Man gets 15 months prison for PPP fraud; got $1.3 million
- Los Angeles: Woman pleads guilty to PPP fraud; got $2.2 million
- St. Louis: Woman pleads guilty to PPP fraud; got $1.6 million
- St. Louis: Three woman charged with PPP fraud; got $229,000
- Colorado: Funeral home operators charged with PPP fraud; failing to bury or cremate bodies of clients
- St. Louis: Woman pleads guilty to PPP fraud; got $104,000
- Long Island: Man gets two years prison for PPP fraud; got $3 million
- North Carolina: Two Nigerian men indicted; third pleads guilty, for laundering $4.5 million from BEC frauds
- BEC attacks against the automotive industry up 70% in the last six months
- Houston: Nigerian man gets 7 ½ years prison for BEC fraud against home title companies; got $10 million
- Attack cancels classes at New Mexico university
- Hits Chinese-owned chipmaking company in the Netherlands
- Founder of Taiwan crypto exchange ACE charged with fraud and money laundering
- Class action filed against Bitcoin Depot and Circle K; claims stores are aware that bitcoin ATM’s are used to scam consumers but don’t do enough to prevent it
- Colorado man pleads guilty to mass mail prize scam that promised awards for sending in a small sum; no prizes awarded; got $15 million
- Canada: Toronto woman arrested for lottery fraud; sent mailings into Western Canada telling victims they had won
- Houston: Nigerian man and accomplice charged with romance fraud; in at least one case came to victim’s home to pick up money in person
- Michigan: Two brothers who were extradited from Nigeria plead guilty to online extortion of teen who committed suicide
- Police officer in Tallmadge, Ohio gets award for cracking a romance fraud
- Arizona: Man gets four years prison for romance fraud
- Georgia: Nigerian man gets three years prison for romance fraud; laundered money from victims and sent much of it to Nigeria
- Mississippi: Probation for one of four Nigerian track stars who laundered money from romance scam victims; three years or more for the others
- Delaware: Woman arrested for online extortion fraud against young men on social media; scam partner arrested in the Ivory Coast
- Hong Kong: Man commits suicide after being victimized by a romance fraud and another scam