An Indiana couple pleaded guilty recently to their part in defrauding Amazon of more than $1.2 million in electronic devices by taking advantage of the e-commerce giant’s replacement policy. [More]
Scheme
Couple Illegally Used Amazon Replacement Policy To Get $1.2M Worth Of Electronics For Free
By 10.2.17
Feds Shut Down Multimillion-Dollar Debt Relief Scam
By 5.23.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
A phony debt relief operation that bilked tens of millions of dollars from individuals — including the disabled and elderly — based on the promise it could lower their debt burden is out of business after a federal court temporarily halted the scheme. [More]
Former Bank Of America VP Accused Of Making $2.7M In Bogus Donations
By 5.22.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
A former Bank of America executive, along with her husband and another person, have been accused of bank fraud for their alleged involvement in an embezzlement scheme that involved making millions of dollars of fake donations in the bank’s name. [More]
Ponzi Scheme Victims Say PayPal Knew User Was A Scammer
By 5.8.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Victims of a Ponzi scheme that raked in hundreds of millions of dollars allege that online payment system PayPal were aware of the scam operator’s past but turned a blind eye because the company was making so much money from these fraudulent transactions. [More]
77-Year-Old Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty To Conning Customers Out Of $8.2M
By 4.27.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
A Pennsylvania insurance agent could spend more than five years in prison after pleading guilty for his part in a scheme that swindled millions of dollars from customers. [More]
American Airlines Workers Targeted In $16.7M Hearing Aid Scheme
By 4.21.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Thousands of American Airlines employees unknowingly became the targets of a multi-million dollar insurance fraud scheme carried out by a father-son duo who claimed to provide the airline workers with free hearing aids for simply taking a test. [More]
FTC Shuts Down Tech Support Scammers Pretending To Work For FTC
By 4.11.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Con artists love pretending to be from the federal government; it can lend an immediate air of far-reaching authority to whatever scam they are pulling. Similarly, play-acting as a tech support expert can take advantage of everyday folks’ lack of knowledge about the inner workings of their electronics. One Florida man allegedly tried to combine these two beloved character types into one Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of fraud, only to be shut down by the very agency he impersonated. [More]
If You Use A Tax Preparer, Make Sure They Don’t Get Taken In By ‘Last-Minute Email’ Scam
By 3.20.17
Taxes can be complicated, and you may have last-minute tweaks to make as you pull together paperwork. Scammers are now taking advantage of this fact, posing as taxpayers to siphon away their annual refunds. [More]
Operator Of Foreclosure Rescue Scheme Sentenced To Four Years In Prison
By 2.17.17
During the housing crisis, consumers in danger of losing their homes were often approached by unscrupulous companies making false promises they could help consumers delay foreclosures or evictions. One such company brought in nearly $3 million, and now the man behind the scenes is headed to prison. [More]
Two Women Charged With Filing More Than 850 Fraudulent Tax Returns Worth $2.78M
By 2.10.17
Every year you hear about identity thieves filing tax returns in other peoples’ names in order to snatch their refunds, but you may not realize what a big business this is for some crooks. Case in point: A pair of Illinois women who have pleaded guilty to filing more than 850 bogus returns worth nearly $2.8 million in refunds. [More]
Feds Ask Victims Of Nigerian Internet Scam To Step Forward
By 2.8.17 — Updated: 2.10.17
Did the “love of your life” scam thousand of dollars from you? Did someone promise that you could make the big bucks working from home? If you answered yes to one of these schemes, federal regulators may be looking for you following the conviction of three Nigerian nationals who allegedly scammed thousands of consumers with internet-based financial fraud schemes. [More]
Feds Halt Phony Rental Home Scheme That Raked In Millions In Bogus Credit Check Fees
By 1.18.17
For years now we’ve been warning consumers about the apartment rental credit check scam: a scheme where homes (that may not even exist) are listed online with the sole purpose of tricking prospective renters into paying for “credit checks” that will never be done. Today, federal regulators announced they had put a stop to one company accused of using bogus listings and fees to swindle millions out of hopeful tenants. [More]
Immigrants Face Uptick Of Attempted Fraud
By 11.22.16
Just as when the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked four months ago on the White House’s hopes to enact large-scale immigration reforms, the recent presidential election has left millions of immigrants uncertain about their status making them potential targets for fraudsters. [More]
Debt Relief Scammer Will Spend Two Years In Prison, Pay $1.2M In Refunds
By 11.21.16
Four years after federal regulators shut down a debt relief operation that promised to help customers pay down credit card debt, but in reality only relieved customers of their cash, a man who worked for the scheme has been ordered to spend two years in prison and to refund $1.2 million to his victims. [More]
Feds Shut Down Telemarketing Scam That Pitched Money-Making Schemes & Bogus Grants
By 10.28.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
As wonderful as it might sound, odds are that no one is trying to call you to give you free money, and anyone who dangles a get-rich-quick scheme in front of you should be quickly ignored. Yet federal regulators say telemarketers tricked seniors and veterans out of their money with these sorts of scams.
[More]
Feds Arrest 61 For Alleged Indian Call Center Scam That Bilked Millions From Consumers
By 10.27.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Earlier this month, police in India detained hundreds of employees in three different call centers for allegedly proliferating a scam that involved calling unsuspecting consumers masquerading as employees with the Internal Revenue Service and threatening to arrest if the person didn’t pay up. This week, federal authorities in the U.S. followed up on the case, ending a three-year investigation by arresting dozens of people in the U.S. and India for allegedly scamming tens of thousands of consumers out of millions of dollars through the sophisticated call center scheme. [More]
The Latest In Phishing Scams: Instagram’s “Ugly List”
By 10.4.16
No one wants to be called names, and no one wants those hurtful names to be blasted all over social media. Unfortunately, it appears fraudsters are taking advantage of those fears with an “ugly list” phishing scam making the rounds on Instagram. [More]
Interpol Nabs Accused Kingpin Of $60M Global Email Scam In Nigeria
By 8.1.16
Fighting spam scammers might sometimes seem like a pointless game of Whac-A-Mole, but international law enforcement authorities say they have bopped one particularly large mole on the head by arresting the alleged ringleader of a global email scam ring that swindled $60 million from its victims. [More]
