Major data breach of telecom companies by Chinese actors
Internet Wayback machine hacked; 31 million passwords lost
FTC finalizes new Rule that makes it easier to cancel subscriptions and members; 3-2 vote
Hong Kong: Police arrest 27 for crypto romance fraud, seize training materials; losses of $360 million
Fraud Report October 10. 2024
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New UN report on the International Organized Crime and Scam Centers in Southeast Asia
- Between $18 and $37 billion in losses in 2024
- Extensive money laundering efforts
- Building services for other scam gangs; grown to “industrial proportions”
- Convergence with drugs, illegal gambling, pornography
- Rely on crypto, especially Tether and Stablecoin
Rapidly developing use of AI and deepfakes
Fraud Report October 3, 2024
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Twelve countries take action against Lockbit ransomware gang
- Four arrests; servers seized
- French arrest develop; UK arrest two
- Spain seized 9 servers; arrest administrator of bulletproof hosting service
- US and UK issue sanctions; UK sanctions 15 Russians
- US indicts Russian man
India busts four rooms at 32 locations doing tech support calls; arrest 26
Fraud Report September 26, 2024
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Countries sharing data to fight online fraud. That’s good thing. It would be great to share consumer complaints between countries to target fraudsters, and much data/evidence is held in the US an d other countries. A new UN Convention seems aimed at such problem, but commentators warn about some serious risks for free expression and other rights.
Fraud Report September 19, 2024
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Countries sharing data to fight online fraud. That’s good thing. It would be great to share consumer complaints between countries to target fraudsters, and much data/evidence is held in the US and other countries. A new UN Convention seems aimed at such problem, but commentators warn about some serious risks for free expression and other rights.
Fraud Report September 12, 2024
FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center issues new report on crypto fraud
- Victims reported losses of $5.6 billion in crypto in 2023
- That’s a 45% increase over the 2022
- Investments, almost surely meaning crypto romance fraud, accounted for 71% of those losses
- But also large sums lost to tech support and romance scams
- Most of those complaints were from people over 60
- These complaints account for half of all reported money losses
FINcen releases in depth report on check fraud due to mail theft
- Studied February through August 2023
- Most common stolen checks are altered and deposited
- Second most common is checks used as templates for a counterfeit check
- Third was just signing and depositing checks
- Most fake checks deposited through ATM’s
- Here’s the study I did on fake check fraud
Fraud Report September 5, 2024
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- Volume of reported losses grew tenfold since 2020
- Reported losses $65 million first half of 2024
- Two thirds of losses by those over 60
- 88% of those who used Bitcoin ATM to send money to a scam involved tech support scams or impersonation of the government or a business
- Number of machines in the US went from 4250 in January 2020 to 32,000 in June 2024
Fraud Report August 29, 2024
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How many fraud victims report to the law enforcement or the BBB? The FTC actually looked at this in a nationwide fraud survey, and found that less than 5% of them ever do. Many are embarrassed, or don’t know where to report. Victims are more likely to report some fraud than others. Some don’t even realize that they have been defrauded. But this is important, since many of us received complaints and suspect, correctly, that these are just the top of the iceberg.
Review and Recommendation: Civilization, by Niall Ferguson. I’ve previously recommended his book Empire, on how the British Empire developed. In this one he expands on the subject of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel to ask why after 1500 the other emerging empires in China, the mideast, and elsewhere didn’t emerge to change the world like Europe did. Very good, and I highly recommend it.
Fraud Report August 22, 2024
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There are no “Safe” Accounts: A wide variety of scams, particularly those that impersonate law enforcement and banks, are claiming that your money is at risk of being stolen by bad actors or seized by a government and that you need to transfer your money to an account where it will be protected. There is no such thing! Please warn people that anyone that wants you to turn over your money is a CROOK.
Fraud Report August 15, 2024
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Gold – A new Trend. I am seeing more and more scammers who are asking victims to pay with gold. And it appears that this tactic is being headed by scammers from India. This is a huge red flag of fraud (no legitimate operation will ask for funds this way) and of course this makes it harder to follow the money.