If you took a summer vacation this year, you may have spent it on a beach, on a boat, or at a theme park. Security journalist Brian Krebs spent his summer vacation doing something that sounds super-fun to us: hunting down compromised ATMs in Mexico. He found quite a few, and also learned who might be behind all of his fraud. [More]
Crime & Fraud
CFPB Sues Debt Relief Firm, Alleging It Bilked Customers For $67M
By 9.15.15
Being in debt can be paralyzing, leaving some people with the feeling like they’ll never climb their way out of the hole. So when a company promises it can help ease that burden, it might some like a good idea to spend even more money in the hope that you’ll ultimately be pointed in the right financial direction. Federal regulators say one debt relief operation took in $67 million from customers in need of help, but most of that money just went to the firm’s fees while the customers’ debts continued to pile up. [More]
American Airlines Flight Diverted After Unruly Passenger Allegedly Kissed, Then Punched Attendant
By 9.15.15
An American Airlines flight heading to Chicago from Miami had to make an unscheduled stop in Indianapolis on Monday afternoon, after a disoriented passenger became disruptive, reportedly kissing and then punching a flight attendant in the face. [More]
Man Stuffs Box Of Raspberry Cookies Down His Pants, Heads To Grocery Checkout
By 9.14.15
What is the impulse that leads people to say, “I would like to steal this item from this store, and I’m going to do it by stuffing it down my pants”? Why does it always happen with food? All we know is that it has happened again, this time with a grocery shopper caught with raspberry cookies down his pants. [More]
Police: Man Pretended To Be An Uber Driver, Tried To Hug Fleeing Passenger
By 9.10.15
Reminder: If you didn’t call that cab or order that Uber ride, it’s not always safe to just hop in the car and hope to get to your destination. Police in Texas have identified a suspect in connection to an odd incident early last Sunday morning, where two female college students reported that a man pretending to be an Uber driver offered them a ride, saying his fare didn’t show up. [More]
Supplement-Maker Who Diluted Products With Other Powders Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison
By 9.9.15
When you buy a food product or a dietary supplement, you should be confident that the product’s ingredients are listed on the label, and that you’re getting what you paid for. Federal prosecutors say that one dietary supplement wholesaler in New Jersey spent four years selling products diluted with products like maltodextrin or rice flour, increasing profits but defrauding customers. The company’s owner now must forfeit $1 million in profits and has been sentenced to 40 months in prison and one year of supervised release. [More]
No, You Aren’t Going To Win An Audi Or A Diamond Ring Just By Liking & Sharing A Post On Facebook
By 9.9.15
Although you might be suspicious that something sounds too good to be true, not every scam you come across on the Internet will immediately set off alarm bells. After all, what’s the worst that could come from liking and sharing a post on Facebook, beyond the fact that a new Audi R8 V8 or a diamond ring from Tiffany & Co. won’t become yours? Some scams exist (and thrive) just to get those valuable likes and shares, and gain an audience for future scams. [More]
Pilot Flying As An American Airlines Passenger Caught On Video Texting During Takeoff
By 9.4.15
Where there are rules, there will inevitably be people who break them. But it’s still surprising when someone who’s tasked with enforcing those rules is instead doing exactly what they usually tell others not to do. That was the case for a man flying on American Airlines recently, who filmed an airline pilot traveling as a passenger on a flight from Charlotte to Tampa texting on his cellphone during takeoff. [More]
Southwest Flight Diverted After Fight Breaks Out Between “Disorderly” Group Of Passengers
By 9.1.15
A Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego heading to Chicago last night had to make an unplanned stop in Amarillo, TX, after police said a fight broke out on board among a group of passengers who were traveling together. [More]
Fake Boss Wire Transfer Scammers Have Now Stolen $1.2 Billion From Companies
By 8.28.15
All year, we’ve been sharing information about a scam hitting companies all over the world, where very clever and resourceful scammers impersonate bosses and extract money on false pretenses. The best protection against this kind of fraud is education, and while law enforcement are doing their best to let people know about the scam, the number of victims is only increasing, and law enforcement estimates that the scammers have drained $1.2 billion worldwide from businesses’ bank accounts. [More]
Ashley Madison CEO Steps Down In Wake Of Hacking Scandal
By 8.28.15
Less than two weeks after hackers published two big data dumps full of material stolen from Ashley Madison, a dating website for cheaters, its parent company Avid Life Media announced that effective today, CEO Noel Biderman will be stepping down from his position and is no longer with the company. [More]
Two Passengers Arrested After Pepper Spray, Razor Come Out During Fight On JetBlue Flight
By 8.27.15
You’ve probably had that feeling: the one where the plane has landed, and it’s only a matter of minutes before you’re standing up, walking down that aisle and finally getting off. But police say that moment got a bit too testy after a JetBlue flight coming from Jamaica landed at John F. Kennedy Airport yesterday morning in New York, when two female passengers got in a brawl. [More]
Priest Sentenced To 6 Months In Prison For Groping Woman On US Airways Flight
By 8.25.15
Almost exactly a year after he was caught groping a female passenger on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, a Catholic priest has been sentenced to six months behind bars in a federal prison, followed by six months of house arrest. [More]
Customs Officials In Miami Keep Finding Cocaine, Heroin Hidden In Flower Shipments
By 8.21.15
Stopping to smell the roses takes on a whole new meaning down in Miami, where federal officials say they’ve found several shipments of flowers going through the airport with cocaine and heroin hidden in them. [More]
Guy Late For His Flight Accused Of Running Onto Airport Ramp In Attempt To Stop Departing Plane
By 8.19.15
It might sound like a scene from a romantic comedy: A man is on his way to his high school reunion, but he’s late for his flight, he goes all out in his efforts to keep the plane from leaving without him, he reunites with his former love, all ends well, etc. Except in real life, police weren’t pleased with a man accused of running into a secure area of the Denver Airport to try to halt a departing plane he was supposed to be on. [More]
Russian Police Bust $30M International Contraband Cheese Ring
By 8.19.15
Despite import restrictions that have caused tons of premium cheese to be destroyed in an act of “fromagicide,” people in Russia still want their dairy favorites. And where there’s a demand, there’s bound to be someone willing to provide a supply. As such, police in Russia say they’ve busted an international contraband cheese ring worth an estimated $30 million. That’s a lot of cheddar, eh? (Sorry.) [More]
Couple Accused Of Pulling “Shoulder Surfing” Scam To Cash $400K In Counterfeit Checks At Walmart
By 8.18.15
Whenever you’re dealing with your private information in a public place, it’s a good idea to use your body/bag/hand as a shield to keep prying eyes from peeking where they shouldn’t. You never know, there could be someone trying to pull a “shoulder surfing” scam, as officials are calling the method employed by a couple of accused scammers who allegedly preyed on folks cashing checks at Walmart. [More]
Police: Don’t Bring Homemade Toilets To Jimmy Buffett Concerts, Then Leave’em For Others To Clean Up
By 8.18.15
What’s a Parrothead to do when they’ve been wasting away in Margaritaville and the lines to the bathroom are too long? Apparently, there’s a bucket for that. Police in Mansfield, MA say Jimmy Buffett fans really need to stop bringing their own homemade toilets to concerts at the local arena, because not only are the tailgaters relieving themselves outside of sanctioned restrooms, they’re leaving their latrine creations behind for someone else to deal with. [More]
