BBB Studies. Here are links to some of the study topics: puppy fraud, tech support fraud, romance fraud money mules, apartment rental, crooked movers, government imposters, online vehicle sale scams, rental fraud and gift cards.
Fraud Report 8/12/21
AARP releases “Consumer fraud in America: The Black Experience”
- One in five have lost money
- More than half of victims have also been victims of another scam
- Most common are government imposters, lottery and work from home scams
The fastest growth in fraud is among those under 21 says new study
Tip of the week: An alert reader reports that Marriott Reward points are being stolen and used. This may be due to a series of data breaches the company experienced. So this is a reminder to check your reward point accounts and frequent flyer miles from time to time so make sure someone hasn’t been stealing the awards you’ve earned.
Fraud Report 8/5/2021
UK fraud reporting system Action Fraud to be replaced; scams account for 42% of all crimes
Solar Winds hackers got into email systems of federal prosecutors
Spanish-speakers most likely victims of grandparent scams says AARP
Fraud Report 7/29/2021
Top Stories
Six Nigerians on FBI Most wanted list
In depth article on unemployment benefit theft in the U.S.
- May hit $440 billion
- Bots used to file for unemployment
- IP addresses from China, Nigeria and Russia
- Also Cuba, Eritrea, Fiji and Monaco
Why people can’t cut their losses; the sunk cost fallacy
Review and recommendation: High Noon, for which Gary Cooper won the best actor Oscar. Excellent, and not a shoot ‘em up. An honorable man faced with a town that won’t help. Named one of the 25 best films ever made.
BBB Studies. Here are links to some of the study topics: puppy fraud, tech support fraud, romance fraud money mules, apartment rental, crooked movers, government imposters, online vehicle sale scams, rental fraud and gift cards.
Fraud Report 7/22/2021
Fraud Report 5/15/21
Top Stories
23% of those in the US say they lost money to a phone scam in the last year
Fraud text messages supposedly from State agencies. I’m in Illinois, and now get one of these almost every day, as do my neighbors. Is it just the Land of Lincoln? I’ve not seen much on this topic, but it seems to be growing incredibly fast.
Fraud Report 7/8/2021
News Nigeria: How Ray Hushpuppi became wealthy as a social influencer and how he laundered BEC funds
Singapore investigating 334 as money mules for BEC, romance, tech support and other scams
- To date more than $300 million has gone to 142,000 victims
Fraud Report 7/1/21
New FTC Chair Lina Khan names Chopra advisors Sam Levine acting head of consumer protection; Holly Vedova acting head of Bureau of Competition, and Erie Meyer as Chief Technologist Dems now have 3-2 majority
Chinese propaganda app being used by romance scammers there; government censors reports on problem
New Google Pay app now lets people send money to India and Singapore through Western Union. Are scammers close behind?
New fraud trend to watch out for: The US government is now paying for the funeral expenses of those who died from the virus. Not surprisingly, sources tell the Fraud Report that crooks are now applying for this money online and stealing funds. And if the crooks are not in the U.S. they doubtless need mules to first collect the money.
Fraud Report 6/24/21
Consumer Survey on counterfeit goods
- 57% have unknowingly bought counterfeits
- 18% did so knowing they were counterfeits
- More bought on web sites than from Amazon, eBay
Review and recommendation: Unsettled, What climate science tells us, what it doesn’t, and why it matters, by Steven E. Koonin, physicist at Caltech, Undersecretary of Science in the US Energy Department in the Obama Administration. Everyone agrees that there is more Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it is tough to pierce the fog of politics and media to figure out what data we have about climate change, how reliable is it, what does that data mean? This quite readable book should help every informed citizen get a better grasp on key issues such as how much of climate change is natural, how much is manmade, and what are our options for dealing with this?
BBB Studies. Here are links to some of the study topics: puppy fraud, tech support fraud, romance fraud money mules, apartment rental, crooked movers, government imposters, online vehicle sale scams, rental fraud and gift cards.
Fraud Report 6/17/21
Top Stories
Know a romance fraud victim who is still troubled after the scam?
- Ten week moderated program
- US victims only at this point
- Also has a closed Facebook page for victims
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center releases report on fraud against older victims in 2020
- 28% of complaints by those over 60
- Losses of $1 billion; $300 million more than 2019
- Most losses by romance fraud victims
Theft of log in information of 26 million for Amazon, Facebook, Apple
Why Buffalo, New York, is the hub of crooked debt collectors; ties to the mafia
BBB Studies. Here are links to some of the study topics: puppy fraud, tech support fraud, romance fraud money mules, apartment rental, crooked movers, government imposters, online vehicle sale scams, rental fraud and gift cards.