Fraud Report 12/3/2020

Top Stories

BBB updates study on  pet frauds in the US and Canada

• Huge spike in BBB complaints this year; five fold increase from 2017
• Losses double from 2019
• Scammers now get money through Zelle, Cash App
• Very few prosecutions
• Use pandemic to explain why you can’t see in person
• Want money for “Covid compliant” crate for shipping

Europol and partners do major disruption effort against stolen credit cards; analyze 90,000 cards; stop fraud costing € 40 million

Texas: Owner of India call centers gets 20 years prison; impersonated IRS and US Immigration; responsible for $8.9 million in losses

Europol and 26 countries announce crack down on money mules; 4000 identified; 437 arrested; 227 of those were mule recruiters

US announces money mule crackdown; action taken against 2300 mules; at least 35 arrested; coordinated with European effort

Virus benefit theft

• California prison inmates take in hundreds of millions in bogus unemployment money, even those on death row 
• Canada sues four family members who worked for Ontario government and stole $11 million in virus relief money
• 11,000 must repay Pennsylvania unemployment benefits they were not entitled to
• Scotland over pays £15 million in virus benefits

Full report here