BAKER FRAUD REPORT
August 10, 2017
Top Stories
India
- Calcutta police arrest five for tech support fraud
- Police in Jaipur India arrest five for telemarketing investment fraud
- Article in India on types of frauds operating there; telemarketing victims offering prescription drugs at low prices; debt collection fraud; offering payday loans but requiring a payment in advance; claiming they have deposited a check into the victim’s account and asking for most of the money back; tech support fraud
- India police tell US it will have to wait to get custody of key IRS impersonator ShaggyThakar
Tip of the week: Passwords that are four words long and that you can remember are harder to crack. The man who wrote the rules for the National Institute of Standards many years ago having you include a special character and number, and change them frequently, now says he was wrong.
Fraud News Around the World
- Gift cards are not safe: hackers are using bots to get codes; you may buy a card and find it already drained of money, and “you are screwed.”
- Tech Support frauds now contacting victims with phishing email
- Six charged in Massachusetts scheme of using the Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Registry to create bogus ID’s, those were sold and also used to allow buyers to vote
- FTC issues warning about callers claiming to be from National Institute of Health and offering “free” government grants. NIH warning here
- Consumer Federation of America and North American Consumer Protection Investigators release report on consumer fraud trends being seen locally; used cars and home improvement top the list
- How frauds get money from online bank accounts for Business Email Compromise and other frauds
- Western Union and MoneyGram still talking about sharing lists of crooked agents with each other
- FCC hits robocaller with $82 million fine; used calls to try and sell health insurance
- Australian money mule sentenced to jail time; continued to process money for frauds after police warned him; he had also lost $2 million himself
- Scams cost UK victims £10 billion ever year
- UK homeowners have cards sent to their homes saying that they missed delivery of a parcel and need to call the Royal Mail. But the call to the number listed results in a £45 charge on the phone bill
- Hong Kong police see 56% increase in online shopping fraud so far this year; goods ordered but never delivered
FTC and CFPB
- FTC sues companies that let business opportunity fraud launder credit card charges through their own accounts (which is illegal)
- FTC shutters nest of 78 related companies selling tooth whiteners as “Free trial offers”
* Used internet affiliate ads
* More about free trial frauds
Investment Fraud
IRS fraud
- Nigerian arrested in North Carolina; used phishing scam to obtain school employee W-2 forms to use in filing bogus tax returns
- Nigerian convicted in Oregon of ID theft to file bogus tax returns; had ID’s of 125,000 people
- IRS warns of new phishing emails to tax professionals saying it updates their software – but really steals their system log on data
ATM Skimming
Romance Scam Fraud
Ransomware
- Ransomware attacks Iberia, Louisiana Police
- Man who stopped WannaCry ransomware attack arrested for developing spyware that steals bank account login credentials
- Ransomware attacks up 50% from last year
Sweepstakes Fraud
Just for fun….
Androcles? Lion hug of the century
Add to the News! Have you seen a recent prosecution or other fraud information that others should know about? Send it into the Baker Fraud Report at steve@bakerfraudreport.com
