Interpol operation in Africa leads to arrests of 260 for
romance fraud and sextortion
FTC settles case against Amazon over Prime subscriptions
and making it hard to cancel; to pay $1 billion penalty and another $1.5
billion in refunds to victims
FTC explains who is eligible for refunds from Amazon Prime
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 book studies the rise of counterfeit goods by
organized crime in China
- FDA and DOJ seize 2.1 million illegal vaping
products; most counterfeit and came from China
- ScamAdvisor releases report on the State of Scams in
South Korea; $1.4 billion lost last year
- Nigeria: Man gets one year prison for impersonating
Google in scam
- Minnesota: Member of street gang pleads guilty to
scheme to steal checks, alter them, deposit them and withdraw money
- North Carolina: Man (Indian?) arrested for tech
support fraud where he went to victim’s home to pick up money
- St. Louis: Five (from India?) plead guilty to tech
support fraud operated from India; went victims to homes to pick up funds;
often in gold
- Delaware: Man gets 70 months prison for theft and
washing of checks as well as PPP fraud
- UK: Three workers at National Health Service get
prison for creating fake files claiming people had been vaccinated for
COVID
- Miami: Peruvian man gets 80 months prison for his
role in telemarketing scam that ran call centers in Peru and deceived
Spanish-speaking consumers in the US
- AARP supporting state laws to regulate gift cards;
says 34% have had or know someone who saw scams asking for gift cards;
says 23% have given or received cards with no funds on them
- GASA releases survey looking at scams in the US; 22%
said they lost money to a scam in the last year
- Aspen Institute releases report; a National Strategy
to Prevent Scams
- Miami: Nigerian man extradited to Poland and charged
with inheritance fraudthat sent victim’s letters
- Facebook, working with Australia, takes down 8000
fake ads using celebrities
- National Consumers League warns of Ghost tapping
frauds
- Nigeria: 92 arrested for internet fraud
Humor
- Intern at big New York law firm bites fellow
employees; and nothing happens
- California cops pull over Waymo car for illegal
U-Turn; but there is no one to give a ticket to
FTC
and CFPB
- FTC and 19 states announce settlement over deceptive
fund raising by cancer charity
- DOJ files case against Sendit App that was referred
by the FTC; subscription trap issues and deceptive claims
- FTC resolves case with business credit report
provider Dun & Bradstreet over violating 2002 order about nature of
subscriptions; to pay $5.7 million
Benefit
Theft
- Virginia: Three businessmen sentenced to prison for
PPP fraud; got $4 million
- Georgia: Jury finds woman guilty of PPP fraud; got
$2 million
Scam
Compounds
- Thai police arrest three South Korean masterminds
behind fraud operation
- China sentences 11 members of family that ran scam
compounds in Southeast Asia to death
- Thai police arrest 24 in raids at scam compounds
Business
Email compromise fraud
Bitcoin
and Crypto Fraud
Ransomware
and data breaches
- UK: Attack on London nurseries steals data on 8000
- UK: Man arrested over attack on European airline
check in system
AJamaica
and Lottery Fraud
- Jamaica arrests eight for lottery fraud; guns seized
- Wisconsin: Five, including man from Jamaica,
indicted for PCH sweepstakes fraud
Romance
Fraud and Sextortion
- Japan: Australian romance scam victim who acted as
an unwitting drug mule loses appeal in Japan over jail sentence
- Dallas: Nigerian man gets two years prison for
romance fraud; to be deported after sentence; got at least $2 million
- Two US Senators demand that Match explain why it
doesn’t do more to prevent romance fraud
- India: Police arrest Nigerian man for romance fraud;
pretended to be Korean businessman in the UK