FBI Internet Fraud Complaint Center warns of a sharp increase in "phantom hacking" complaints that begin with a tech support scam and then moves to a second stage where victims get calls impersonating banks or government agencies telling victims that their money is at risk and must be moved to a “safe” account
San Diego: Youtube scam baiter helps take down network of Chinese gang members, many here illegally, who were helping and laundering money for call centers in India; gang handled $65 million; 28 charged and 25 arrested so far
Chinese money laundering gangs handle funds for drug cartels and for fraud gangs; handled $312 billion over four years says FinCEN
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
- GASS releases study on scams in SE Asia; $23.5 billion lost in the last year; special problems in Malaysia and Vietnam
- Puerto Rico: Court convicts Nigerian man of laundering money for romance, BEC, and PPP fraud; shipped used cars to Nigerian to launder
- Singapore: 232 people under investigation for online fraud
- Senate Aging Committee releases new report on fraud affecting older Americans
- Boston: Postal inspector arrested for stealing $330,000 cash from packages; had headed mail theft unit
- Pakistan arrested 67 for online frauds last year
- San Francisco: Three Chinese arrested for scam where they shoplifted electronics and then returned counterfeit versions for refunds; part of a gang
- Netherlands and the FBI shut down site used to create fake ID’s; seize servers; used as a tool for many crimes and frauds
- Singapore orders Meta to screen out deceptive ads on Facebook or face massive fine
- Canada: Moose Jaw police arrest man behind online loan offers; money paid but no loan
- Man uses Airtag to locate his lost luggage, finds man wearing his clothes
- Florida man wearing Batman pajamas thwarts burglary, detains suspect for police
- FTC and Utah settle with Pornhub and other porn sites over claims that they block child sexual abuse videos when they really do very little; to pay $5 million to Utah
- FTC refers complaint to be filed by DOJ against robot toy maker Aptor over allowing its app to send data to China without consent
- FTC settles with Disney over collecting kids data without parents permission on YouTube sites; to pay $10 million
- DC circuit rules that FTC must reinstate fired Democratic Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter
- Chicago: Man gets 1.5 years prison for PPP fraud; got $1.9 million
- Kansas City: Woman pleads guilty to ID theft and PPP fraud
- Tampa: Man pleads guilty to PPP fraud; got $500,000
- Indiana: Woman who pleaded guilty to PPP fraud must repay $55,000
- Baltimore loses $1.5 million to BEC fraud
- Maryland: Nigerian man who was extradited from South Africa pleads guilty to BEC fraud
- Attack on the State of Nevada cripples all sorts of services
- Takes down office of Pennsylvania attorney general
- Attack on Swedish IP cripples 200 towns and regions
- Former NFL player Buster Skrine arrested for romance fraud; also wanted in Canada for check fraud
- New Orleans: Nigerian man pleads guilty to romance fraud
- Chicago: Lawyer gets 2.5 years prison for embezzling to pay romantic partner; possible romance scam?
- India arrests seven Nigerians for romance fraud