Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones!

Review and recommendation:  I just finished Pandemia, by Alex Berenson, and this apparently tops the NYT best seller list.  I’ve followed Alex through the pandemic, and he has been a close and thoughtful observer of the many mistakes we’ve made throughout its course.  As citizens it is our duty to be informed on important issues, and The Science is, of course and necessarily, a function of learning, disputing, and testing hypotheses.

BBB Studies. Here are links to the study topics of my studies: 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,  job scams, and online shopping fraud.

Full report here

BBC:  Two year investigation, leaked documents, show scope of activity by Nigerian violent gang Black Axe around the world

Question of the week:  What is happening with emails claiming I’m being charged for renewing Anti-virus programs I’ve never had?  I get on average three of these a week, supposedly from Norton, Geek Squad, or other companies.  They have a phone number to call.  Who is behind these, and what is the scam?

BBB Studies. Here are links to the study topics of my studies: 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,  job scams, and online shopping fraud.

Full Report here

Top Stories
DOJ announces 2021 money mule initiative; action against 4750 in ten week effort; more than 30 charged criminally
DOJ official’s  blog on this effort
 
BBB updates pet scam study

• Fake web sites use Christmas theme
• Complaints continue to increase dramatically

 
New FTC spotlight looks at scam losses paid by gift card

• $148 million lost first nine months of 2021, more than all 2020
• Target gift cards most popular, more than twice any other brand
• Scammers send victims to Target stores to buy them
• Median amount of loss to Target cards $2500; twice that for others

Thieves attach $29 Apple Tags to luxury vehicles in parking lots; find home location at night and steal the cars; send location to iPhones

Full report here

Top Stories

My new BBB study on online shopping fraud

• Biggest overall source of complaints to the BBB
• Break down into several categories
• Pet scams 30%, nonexistent vehicle scams, free trial offers
• Biggest category is items sold on Facebook/Instagram
• Nothing delivered, counterfeits, or cheap knockoffs instead
• Payment by credit card or PayPal
• Web sites often pretend to be in the US, items mailed from China

Europol announces actions against money mules in 27 countries; 1800 arrested; 18,000 identified

Thought of the week:  Who is behind the scams?    For example, we know many/most lottery scams are conducted from Jamaica, Romanian gangs are deeply involved in selling nonexistent vehicles online and in ATM skimming, and free trial offer scams usually emanate from the US and Canada.  Where law enforcement knows who is behind the scams, they can focus their efforts to fight it better.  So I try to give the best information available about who the scammers are.  This is an organized industry and there is a need to focus if we are to fight it.  Of course nothing on criminal groups can suggest that the broader populations of countries are complicit in the scams, any more than the presence of Al Capone in Chicago tells you anything about the character of the its citizens.   In these sensitive times there is a temptation to disguise countries where the scams flourish to avoid the potential of being accused of giving offense.   But crime exists, it tends to concentrate in specific places, and law enforcement both in those countries and elsewhere need the best information available to combat it.

Full study here

Scammers now calling claiming to be the bank, claim your account has been hacked, and you need to move money over to Zelle, crooks then steal it; also, if transactions are unauthorized banks must refund victims under Reg E; CFPB looking into payment apps

Note of the week:  I hope all will have a great time with your families and those you love as the US celebrates Thanksgiving. 

BBB Studies. Here are links to the study topics of my studies: 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 and job scams.

Full report here

New study on how the pandemic has affected online fraud and policing in Europe

Europol releases 2021 organized crime threat assessment; cybercrime is flourishing

FBI says it has fixed error that allowed someone to send 100,000 emails from their system

BBB Studies. Here are links to the study topics of my studies: 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 and job scams.

Full report here

Top Stories

FBI’s Internet crime complaint Center warns of bitcoin ATM’s

• Scammers have victims supply cash
• Provide victims with a QR code to direct payment to scammers
• Using these in romance scams, lottery scams, and government impersonation

DOJ indicts two Ukrainians for ransomware; one arrested in Poland

Tip of the week:   When you get dodgy emails, such as those telling you you’re being billed for an antivirus program you’ve never received, or those that come from a bank saying you need to reset your password, look carefully at the email address.  This is harder to do when you’re using your phone. Most of the time the email address itself is odd, and it is clear that it is not coming from where it claims.  This may seem simple and obvious, but educating people about this option might save people from being scammed.

Review and recommendation:  I recently reread Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion wine.  It is one summer’s experiences by a ten year old boy in Green Town, Illinois.   The story on new tennis shoes alone is worth the reading.  It will make you wriggle your toes.  And not all is happy.  It is a classic and I highly recommend it.

Full report here

Top Stories

Europol announces concentrated effort against 12 major ransomware scammers; efforts in Ukraine and Switzerland 

FTC issues new policy statement on free trial offers/subscription traps that spells out needed disclosures;  Statement itself here; one Commissoner dissents because of pending rulemaking on this subject

National Consumers League warns scammers are expected to take advantage of supply chain issues to scam victims over the Christmas holidays

Article by DOJ on how they address money mules issues

Thought of the week: Now that scammers have earned millions (maybe billions) from applying online for unemployment benefits they are very likely to replicate that by using ID theft to steal other kinds of government benefits.  See the article on Calgary police arresting scammers who applied for student loans.

Justice Department announces meeting with India’s Central Bureau of Investigation to discuss ways to work jointly on telemarketing and other fraud

Review and recommendation:  Another Western, this one new, is Old Henry.  It stars Tim Blake Nelson, who you may remember from Oh Brother Where Art Thou.  It is fully in the tradition of the great old westerns, and has no politics

BBB Studies. Here are links to the study topics: 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 and job scams.

Full report here

Top Stories

Worldwide survey of scams by country; overall victims losing $47.8 Billion

FBI’s internet crime complaint center warns scammers are creating fake sites to apply for state unemployment benefits; collect personal information about people; ID theft risk high

South Africa: Eight Nigerians arrested with help of FBI and Secret Service, also head of local Black Axe chapter; engaged in romance fraud and other financial crimes

New FTC data spotlight looks at scammers impersonating Amazon; you get an email about a large order you supposedly placed, call scammers who move money from one account to another, claim they over refunded you and you need to return money; ask to remote into your PC; ask you to buy gift cards to “block” scammers. These are all tactics used by scammers in India with IRS or SSA scams.

Full report here