It was inevitable. With the creation of Google+, a new social network already boasting over 20 million users, the scammers were sure to follow. Here’s a note a probable fraudster sent to reader Geoff through his Google+ profile, informing him that someone died in Africa and he needs to be contacted about a “business transaction” of “magnitude.” [More]
fraud
Chase Gets Man Thrown In Jail For Fraudulent Check. Except The Check Is Legit.
By 7.7.11
UPDATE: Chase and the customer tell Consumerist the situation has been resolved. [More]
Convicted Bank Fraudster Could Get 385-Year Sentence
By 6.24.11
Prosecutors in the case against Lee Farkas, who was convicted of leading a $2.9 billion scheme that wrecked Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., have asked the judge in the case to sentence Farkas to at least 50-years in prison, adding that the maximum sentence for his crime is 385 years. [More]
Here's Why You Shouldn't Carry A Large Balance In Your Skype Account
By 5.25.11
Some strange things happened to Rob’s Skype account recently, Scammers drained his account balance and tried to steal money from his credit card, too. While his credit card remained untouched, and his account is now secure, he’d still like that stolen balance back. Skype is awfully sorry, but he’s not going to get that money back. [More]
Sony Breach Could Flood Market With Millions Of Cheap Stolen Credit Cards
By 5.6.11
Some fun (no, not really) potential aftershocks of the Sony Playstation Network breach: The price of buying a stolen credit card number could drop from $5-$10 per to $1-$2 if the hackers flood the market with the 2.2 million credit cards they claim to have access to… [More]
FBI Busts "B-Girls" For Luring Miami Tourists To Rack Up Huge Bar Bills
By 4.18.11
The con was pretty straightforward. Sexy eastern European women working the South Beach strip in Miami would pick up guys at hotels who looked like they had money and entice them back to private clubs with champagne bottle service. The man would think that he was paying a couple of hundred dollars, but actually his credit card was getting swiped for thousands. In one instance, the bill came to $43,000. Now the FBI has swooped in and arrested 17 people connected to the “b-girl” scheme, reports the Miami Herald. [More]
Annoy Telemarketers Into Leaving You Alone
By 4.15.11
Larry’s company was deluged with calls from this one telemarketing scam outfit. They tried everything to get rid of the buggers but they wouldn’t quit. So his company decided to annoy them. [More]
Extreme Couponing: Fraud Edition
By 4.15.11
A lot of people find TLC’s new reality show “Extreme Couponing” horrifying due to the at times obnoxious behavior and extremely organized hoarding of the show’s subjects. But fellow (less extreme) couponers are upset for a different reason: they think that one woman featured on the show got some of her fantastic deals by using coupons fraudulently. [More]
What Teller Would Cash This Clearly Fraudulent Check?
By 3.24.11
Vanessa’s rent check was stolen somewhere between her mailbox and the property management office. It ended up in the hands of unsavory fraudsters, who altered the check in a decidedly low-tech way: with a Sharpie. [More]
Millionaire Dentist Steals Navy Vet's Credit Card And Buys 2 Large Pizzas
By 3.11.11
A millionaire dentist has been charged with credit-card theft and forgery after stealing a credit card from a Navy veteran and buying two large pizzas with it, reports WTSP. [More]
How I Saved My Money From A Scammer
By 3.8.11
Justin fought the scammers and emerged victorious. When he saw fraudulent charges pending on his account, he dutifully called his bank, Chase. When the bank told them that there was nothing they could do until the charges went through and his money was gone, he took action. Here’s how he did it. [More]
Mike Fights The Identity Thieves
By 2.18.11
Someone stole Mike’s identity and has been using it to pay for gas service and buy cellphones in his name. He’s even got a $163 default judgment against him for something he never paid. Here’s how he unraveled the threads of his identity thieves, and how he may never truly be free from their grasp. [More]
Starbucks Recommends iPhone App Users Enable Password Lock
By 2.10.11
Reached for comment about concerns that people could steal your Starbucks Reward card by taking a screenshot of it as it appears on the iPhone app, a Starbucks spokesperson told Consumerist, “We definitely want our customers to have a good experience with mobile payment. We take security seriously.” They also recommended customers take additional safety measures and offered a solution for anyone who had their card stolen. [More]
Crooks Can Make You Pay For Their Starbucks With Simple Screengrab
By 2.10.11
Researchers have discovered a security flaw in the new Starbucks Rewards Card iPhone app that could let someone else rack up a bunch of free coffees on your dime. All someone has to do is take a picture of your barcode and then they can use it to buy all the delicious black swill they want, draining your account to the last drop. [More]
Cabby Pleads Guilty To Ripping Passenger Off For $800k
By 2.9.11
The car service driver accused of ripping off a Hong Kong feng-shui master for over $800,000 on his credit card has plead guilty, New York Post reports. [More]
The Ocean's 11 Of HELOC Fraud
By 2.9.11
Fortune has a great profile on the “Ocean’s 11” of HELOC fraud. Armed with just laptops and cellphones set to the right area code, he and his crew would drain home-equity lines of credit from unsuspecting homeowners accounts, piecing together enough of a profile on them from publicly available information to break through their account security. At his peak, he was pulling down millions a week, operating out of fancy hotel suites and drinking heavily from an endless stream of high-end liquor, jewelry, and prostitutes. And despite the FBI’s best dragnet efforts, he still remains at large today. [More]
Skimmer Uses Bank Door Swipe, Crooks Don't Even Touch ATM
By 1.31.11
In a twist to the usual ATM skimmer scam, there’s a new report from Krebs on Security about crooks who put the skimmer inside the bank door-lock. When you swipe your card to get inside, they grab your digits. A camera hidden behind a mirror above the ATM and pointed down at the keypad records your PIN code when you punch it in. [More]
