A Georgia woman whose key role in a series of romance scams that defrauded seniors in several states of at least $5.8 million was sentenced on March 7 to almost four years in prison in Rhode Island. Syretta Scherer, 42, of Snellville, Georgia, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit money laundering; she laundered […]
Detectives probing the death of a 96-year-old California woman nearly two years ago have uncovered she was the victim of an elaborate murder-for-hire and reverse-mortgage scam that sought to gain control of her home, authorities said Thursday, announcing four people have now been arrested in the case. Violet Evelyn Alberts was found dead in her […]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a new warning to Americans that they should exercise caution when scanning QR codes with their smartphones because cybercriminals tamper with the codes to steal login and financial information. A QR code—the square barcode that people can scan with their smartphone cameras—can provide quick and convenient access […]
According to the Department of Justice, financial scams and abuses that target older people are happening more frequently. Communities around the country deal with robocalls and face-to-face scams. Residents from the Northern California city of Milpitas addressed the issue.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took its first-ever steps to crack down on text-message scams this week, imposing new regulations on mobile phone service providers. Under the new FCC rules announced Thursday, mobile service providers are required to block certain robotext messages that are considered “highly likely to be illegal.” These likely-illegal text messengers come from […]
TOPEKA, Kan.—Someone scammed U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran’s reelection campaign out of $690,000 by getting the Kansas Republican’s accounting firm to wire the money to fraudulent bank accounts, his office said Monday. Moran’s campaign treasurer, Timothy Gottschalk, notified the Federal Election Commission by electronic letter Dec. 8 of “fraudulent activity by a third-party cyber-criminal.” The letter […]
BOSTON—The mastermind of the nationwide college admissions bribery scheme that ensnared celebrities, prominent businesspeople, and other parents who used their wealth and privilege to buy their kids’ way into top-tier schools was sentenced to three and a half years in prison Wednesday. The punishment for Rick Singer, 62, is the longest sentence handed down in […]
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—A 19-year-old man designed fake parking tickets and put them on cars near the beach in Northern California last week in the hopes of collecting real payments, authorities said. The man put the false citations—which included a QR code linking potential victims to a website to pay a fine—on cars late Wednesday night, […]
Ahead of the holiday season, a California-based online dating investigation service is warning a specific consumer group to be on high alert for online scams: teenagers. Money lost by teenagers grew by 1125 percent over the last five years compared to 390 percent for seniors, according to Social Catfish’s new State of Internet Scams 2022. […]
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued a consumer alert warning on Tuesday about a Google Voice identity theft scam that appears to be on the rise. “Scammers are preying on users who post in online marketplaces – posing as buyers in an effort to access a victim’s authentication code,” Moody said. “If the scammer accesses […]
Six people in Ireland have been arrested in connection with a global financial scam following an investigation into a cybercrime involving millions of victims worldwide. Users of a fraudulent website would impersonate reputable corporations and obtain personal information to defraud their victims.
The Internal Revenue Service is warning Americans against a recent rise of smishing attacks identifying thousands of fraudulent domains that are targeting taxpayers through fake COVID relief, tax credits, or even help with setting up an IRS online account.
The Elon Musk Twitter drama escalates with a lawsuit. Former shareholders sue over delay in disclosing stake. There’s possible improvement with the supply chain snarls; some in the trucking industry say demand is slowing down. Solar and wind energy prices are rising, along with everything else. We talk to a windmill maker to see what’s happening. Racing […]
The Elon Musk Twitter drama escalates with a lawsuit. Former shareholders sue over delay in disclosing stake. There’s possible improvement with the supply chain snarls; some in the trucking industry say demand is slowing down. Solar and wind energy prices are rising, along with everything else. We talk to a windmill maker to see what’s happening. Racing […]
Social media sites and search engines will be forced to stamp out fraudulent adverts as the government makes changes to the Online Safety Bill. The move comes after calls from consumer groups for a stronger crackdown on scams, and as the government launches a wider consultation on how online advertising is regulated in the UK.
In cryptocurrency, a while back we reported on the Squid Game token, which turned out to be a scam. The coin had nothing to do with the popular TV show of the same name. Now, more copycat coins are popping up, mimicking luxury car brands and even Hollywood movies, but the coins have absolutely nothing […]
