JUST PUBLISHED

2010-06-01T17:02:00.006-04:00

There's a Sucker Born Every Minute A Revelation of Audacious Frauds, Scams, and Cons -- How to Spot Them, How to Stop Them Jeffrey Robinson - Author $14.95

THERE'S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE

2010-02-19T21:30:00.007-05:00

Coming Soon JEFFREY ROBINSON'STHERE'S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTEA Revelation Of Audacious Frauds, Scams, And Cons -- How To Spot Them, How To Stop ThemPerigee/Penguin BooksJune 1, 2010

FREE WIFI AT AIRPORTS AND HOTELS? MAYBE NOT SO FREE

2009-08-11T11:59:00.002-04:00

reprinted as fair use from CNNBy Hilary Whiteman LONDON, England (CNN) -- You're sitting in an airport lounge and seize the chance to check your e-mails before your flight departs. You log on and are tempted by a wireless Internet provider offering free Internet access. So, do you take it? Health care fraud accounts for as much as 10% of overall health spending and is occurring just as frequently among private insurance plans as public programs, according to a recent report. The June study out of the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., emerges

Feds hunt for fraud at National Sports Collectors Convention

2009-08-03T08:55:00.001-04:00

from the New York Daily Newsreprinted as fair useBY Michael O'Keeffe CLEVELAND - Federal agents investigating fraud in the sports memorabilia business roamed the aisles of the National Sports Collectors Convention for the second consecutive year, issuing subpoenas to hobby executives for auction invoices and other records. Two agents - one from the FBI, the other from the United

One in Five Consumers Hit by Payment Card Fraud in Past Five Years

2009-08-02T07:39:00.001-04:00

reprinted from paymentnews.com as fair useACI Worldwide has announced that its recent global card fraud survey found that "18 per cent of consumers questioned have been victims of credit or debit card fraud in the past five years. The research, of more than 2,400 consumers across eight countries, also found that if an individual or someone they knew was hit by card fraud, 22 per cent would change

Watchdog: SEC Fulfilled Duty in Stanford Case

2009-08-02T07:34:00.000-04:00

reprinted from AP as fair use By MARCY GORDON (AP) – WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission had been actively investigating the banking business of billionaire R. Allen Stanford for more than three years before Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme came to light last December and has fulfilled its duty to pursue alleged wrongdoing by the financier, the agency's inspector general has

Madoff --- Can't Believe Fraud Lasted So Long

2009-08-02T07:24:00.000-04:00

reprinted from Reuters as fair useBernard Madoff, the financier convicted for Wall Street's biggest investment fraud, was surprised his $65 billion Ponzi scheme was not uncovered sooner, he said in his first interview since entering prison. Madoff, the disgraced 71-year-old Wall Streeter who drew 150 years' prison time for the fraud, expressed remorse and talked candidly to a pair of lawyers

5 FRAUDS YOU NEVER HEARD OF

2009-08-02T07:16:00.002-04:00

reprinted from CNN as fair useMost alleged Ponzi schemers don't reach Madoff-like heights, but millions of dollars are still on the line.By Aaron Smith,CNNMoney.com staff writerNEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Bernard Madoff may have made headlines as the biggest Ponzi schemer in history, but there are plenty of other cases to share the limelight.There is no exact dollar figure on how much Madoff

STOLEN ID DATA BASE (CONT)

2009-07-31T17:31:00.001-04:00

REPRINTED FROM THE TIMESAS FAIR USE The identities of more than four million Britons are being offered for sale on the internet, The Times has learnt. Highly sensitive financial information, including credit card details, bank account numbers, telephone numbers and even PINs are available to the highest bidder. At least a quarter of a million British bank and credit card accounts have

DATEBASE OF STOLEN IDs NOW ON LINE

2009-07-31T17:29:00.001-04:00

reprinted from boingboing.comas fair useBritish fraud cop quits job, buys huge database of stolen identities, charges fees to people who want to know if their details are in the database A former British fraud cop has assembled a database of 4,000,000 British identities, including credit card numbers and PINs, seemingly by buying data from hackers and phishers. Now he's selling

CUOMO PURSUES DEBT COLLECTION FIRMS

2009-07-26T03:19:00.001-04:00

reprinted as fair useNEWSDAY REPORTS ---New York AG Andrew Cuomo is demanding information from dozens of debt collection law firms throughout the state as part of a civil lawsuit to overturn more than 100,000 faulty default judgments, he announced Wednesday. The suit seeks to vacate all default judgments where the sole evidence that a defendant received service notifying him that he was being

ECONOMIST REPORTS - FRAUD IN US WAY UP

2009-07-26T03:10:00.001-04:00

reprinted as fair useAccording to Britain's Economist Magazine ---Over 730,000 counts of suspected financial wrong doing were recorded in America last year, according to recent data from the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Institutions such as banks, insurers and casinos are required by law to report suspicious activities to federal authorities under 20 categories.

Con Artists Often Prey on the Elderly

2009-07-16T11:57:00.001-04:00

reprinted as fair usefromLouisiana State Department of InsuranceThe elderly are the target of a growing number of scams. These scams take a tragic toll on the financial and emotional lives of elderly people with limited means, and many times they involve a drain on insurance resources, for the individual and society.

SWISS/UBS BLINK - US AGREES POSTPONEMENT

2009-07-12T13:40:00.003-04:00

from Bloomberg.Comreprinted as fair useBy David Voreacos and Mort Lucoff The U.S. and Swiss governments agreed with UBS AG to postpone a court hearing in Miami and try to resolve a government lawsuit seeking the identities of 52,000 American account holders suspected of possible tax evasion. UBS AG, the largest Swiss bank by assets, agreed to

UBS CLIENTS CAUGHT IN BIG GAMBLE

2009-07-11T13:47:00.002-04:00

With the US vs UBS case set to go to court in Miami on Monday, all of those 52,000 American clients --- whose names and tax information form the basis of the suit against the bank --- are caught in a big gamble. Those who have already "fessed" up to some tax avoidance/evasion scheme, are most likely taking advantage of the IRS tax amnesty put in place last March. It expires in September.But those

United States versus UBS

2009-07-10T11:16:00.003-04:00

With the US vs UBS case set to go to court in Miami on Monday, reports from Washington say that a deal between the Department of Justice and the Swiss bank --- which would see the bank revealing American account information --- remains elusive. If a deal isn't struck before Monday morning, the Swiss are risking an all out war on their much treausured banking secrecy.

SWISS THREATEN US IN UBS CASE

2009-07-09T09:24:00.001-04:00

from Bloombergreprinted as fair useBy David Voreacos, Michael McKee and Mort Lucoff Switzerland said it would seize UBS AG data to prevent the U.S. Justice Department from pursuing a U.S. court order seeking the identities of 52,000 American account holders in a crackdown on tax evaders.

FBI MORTGAGE FRAUD - SCAMS EXPLAINED

2009-07-09T09:02:00.003-04:00

FROM THE FBI ANNUAL MORTGAGE FRAUD REPORT:Industry experts concur that there is a strong correlation between increased fraud and distressed real estate markets. The 2008 current housing market, suffering from an increase in inventory, lack of sales, and a high foreclosure rate, provided an attractive environment for mortgage fraud perpetrators who discovered methods to circumvent

FBI REPORT - MORTGAGE FRAUD

2009-07-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

The FBI issued its annual report on mortgage fraud, named Los Angeles the mortgage fraud capital of the US, with Miami coming in second. Chicago had been number one.The report explained that mortgage fraud in 2008 reflected the overall downturn in the US economy, with the industry noting spikes in foreclosures and defaults, while financial markets continued to contract. That served to diminish

MORTGAGE FRAUD - HOW TO AVOID IT

2009-07-06T08:27:00.002-04:00

fromThe Newark Star Ledgerreprinted as fair useby Lisa FleisherGLOSSARY mortgage: Loan used to buy a home. mortgage-backed security: Financial instrument that allows investors to buy shares in a fund that combines many mortgages into one pool. straw buyer: Person named on mortgage documents but who is not really the intended homebuyer; often used when the actual buyer does not have good enough

SEC HAD BEEN WARNED ON MADOFF

2009-07-06T08:17:00.001-04:00

fromThe Washington Postreprinted as fair use Lawyer Raised Alarm, Then Was Pointed Elsewhere By Zachary A. Goldfarb An investigator at the Securities and Exchange Commission warned superiors as far back as 2004 about irregularities at Bernard L. Madoff's financial management firm, but she was told to focus on an unrelated matter, according to agency documents and sources familiar with the

Crackdown on Medicare fraud

2009-07-06T08:11:00.000-04:00

fromThe Miami Heraldreprinted as fair useBY JAY WEAVERA new sense of urgency is shaping the U.S. government's fight against Medicare fraud as the Obama administration strives to sell the public on expanding healthcare to cover uninsured Americans.Cabinet officials commenting on this week's trio of Medicare fraud crackdowns in Miami and other cities pushed an emerging two-pronged approach,

ANOTHER SCAM EMAIL - FROM THE FBI?

2009-07-03T10:13:00.002-04:00

A scam email, purporting to be from the FBI is making the rounds. And while it's difficult to imagine that anyone who speaks native English would fall for anything as obvious as this, it apparently works. So... a word to the wise ---To: Undisclosed recipients:Subject: Anti-Terrorist and Monitory Crimes Division. Anti-Terrorist and Monitory Crimes Division.Federal Bureau Of Investigation.J. Edgar

$231 million set for Madoff fraud victims

2009-07-03T09:33:00.004-04:00

The court appointed trustee acting in the Bernard Madoff affair, Irving Picard, says he has set aside $231 million to compensate victims. He also says he has only processed 543 claims --- out of a total of 10,000 --- brought by former Madoff clients, who are owed almost $3 billion. The announced $231 million is the maximum that can be covered through the Securities Investors Protection Corp (SIPC

DAVIS TO PLEAD GUILTY-STRIKES DEAL WITH PROSECUTORS

2009-07-03T09:29:00.002-04:00

from The Houston Chroniclereprinted as fair useFormer Stanford CFO to plead guilty By KRISTEN HAYSThe first guilty plea in the Stanford Financial Group scandal will come from the company’s No. 2 man. Former finance chief James Davis, 60, has struck a deal with the government to plead guilty to the three fraud and conspiracy counts pending against him and help prosecutors build cases against

INDICTMENTS IN MASSIVE PR TAX FRAUD SCAM

2009-07-01T14:26:00.001-04:00

Indictments have now been handed down against 11 defendants in a massive ID/tax fraud scam run out of Puerto Rico.According to the US government: "From approximately 2006 through 2008, the defendants engaged in a scheme to file false and fraudulent federal and state tax returns seeking tax refunds, using identification information of residents of Puerto Rico. Residents of the Commonwealth of

ROGUES GALLERY OF FRAUDSTERS AND THEIR TIME

2009-07-01T14:06:00.003-04:00

The 150 year sentence given to Bernard Madoff is put into perspective by this rogues' gallery compiled by the Los Angeles Times.Reprinted as fair use.by Tom Petruno*** Jeffrey Skilling, Enron Corp's former chief executive, was sentenced in October 2006 to more than 24 years in prison for his role in the energy company's collapse. But he will be re-sentenced July 30 after an appeals court ruled

CASE AGAINST STANFORD'S BAIL

2009-07-01T12:16:00.002-04:00

Federal prosecutors in Houston convinced Federal district court judge David Hittner to revoke Allen Stanford's bail based on four salient points.Stanford's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, argued that his client could have fled before he was indicted and had even attempted to surrender voluntarily before his indictment. He claimed his client was penniless.But Assistant US Attorney Gregg Costa successfully

STANFORD BAIL ORDER REVOKED

2009-06-30T21:38:00.002-04:00

FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLEreprinted as fair useby Kristen HaysR. Allen Stanford won't trade his orange prison-issue jumpsuit for street clothes anytime soon, a judge ruled Tuesday.Senior U.S. District Judge David Hittner revoked a magistrate's order granting Stanford's release on bail.Stanford, 59, faces 21 counts of conspiracy, fraud, bribery and obstruction of justice. He's accused of helping

STANFORD DENIED BAIL

2009-06-30T21:32:00.001-04:00

reprinted from Houston Bizjournalas fair useJudge orders Stanford in jail until trial Houston Business Journal - by Greg Barr Senior Reporter R. Allen Stanford View Larger Family Mr. Madoff's

NEW FINANCIAL ADVISOR? CHECK HIM OUT

2009-06-29T19:08:00.003-04:00

In the wake of the Bernard Madoff scandal, the advice "Know who you give your money to" is certainly worth restating. Granted, a lot of people who gave money to Madoff knew him well, and clearly didn't a Ponzi, but a little home work can still go a long way.The website http://www.finra.org/index.htm is a good first stop.Managed by the Financial Industry Regulation Agency, you can run a "broker

JUDGE HANDS OUT 150 TO BERNARD MADOFF

2009-06-29T18:54:00.002-04:00

In a packed federal courtroom in lower Manhattan this morning, US District Judge Denny Chin sentenced convicted master-fraudster Bernard Madoff to 150 years in prison.Worth noting is the Judge's reasons for the maximum sentence allowed: "Objectively speaking, the fraud was staggering and the breach of trust was massive."He described Madoff's crimes as "extraordinarily evil," adding that Madoff's

STANFORD - ANOTHER NIGHT IN JAIL

2009-06-29T18:50:00.003-04:00

Prosecutors in Houston argued today that Allen Stanford holds Antiguan citizenship, that he didn't confess right away to holding an Antiguan passport, that he may have access to hidden vast wealth and is therefore a flight risk. The judge hearing an appeal on the $500,000 bond set Friday against the alleged $7 billion Ponzi schemer, has kept Stanford in jail for another night. The case continues

CNN on Bernie Madoff - Sentencing Tomorrow

2009-06-28T08:11:00.002-04:00

CNN ON BERNIE MADOFFSENTENCING TOMORROWreprinted as fair useBy Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writerBernard and Ruth Madoff have been stripped of their vast riches.The government announced Friday night that it had seized all of Bernard Madoff's property in a deal that also forces his wife to give up homes and property worth millions.Federal prosecutors obtained a $170 billion legal judgment

TheFraudReport on Twitter

2009-06-27T10:24:00.001-04:00

CHECK OUT THEFRAUDREPORT ON TWITTERhttp://twitter.com/thefraudreport

Identity Theft, Document Fraud and Illegal Employment

2009-06-27T10:10:00.006-04:00

fromThe Center for Immigration Studiesreprinted as fair useIn May of this year, a Supreme Court decision severely impeded the use of identity theft charges as an immigration enforcement tool. In June, several people were arrested after a fraud scheme was uncovered at a Florida driver's license bureau. In July, a new Utah law targeting illegal aliens and document fraud will take effect. As these

INSIDE FACEBOOK CLICK FRAUD

2009-06-26T17:44:00.001-04:00

fromwww.techcrunch.comreprinted as fair useHow advertisers engage in click fraud First, its hard to even see the ads in the first place. On search engines they are there on the parked domain page, or you see them when you type in a query. But on Facebook ads are hyper targeted to users based on deep demographic data - like single men who live in San Diego and like the Xbox and U2, for example. If

Antigua puts offshore sector under scrutiny

2009-06-26T16:50:00.003-04:00

fromwww.caribbean360.comreprinted as fair useOffshore companies in Antigua and Barbuda are now under the scrutiny of local authorities as a consequence of the criminal charges filed against the former boss of the country's financial regulatory body over his involvement in an alleged fraud at the Stanford International Bank (SIB). Finance Minister Harold Lovell said in an interview on Observer

STANFORD GRANTED BAIL-BUT STAYS LOCKED UP

2009-06-25T19:47:00.003-04:00

A federal judge in Houston heard Allen Stanford's guilty plea and then, after a lengthy hearing ordered him released on a $500,000 bond, which is to include $100,000 cash. But the prosecutors objected, insisting that he is a flight risk, so judge ordered Stanford held in jail overnight until she could listen to further arguments.

STANFORD - BAIL HEARING THURSDAY

2009-06-24T14:14:00.002-04:00

R. Allen Stanford, now formally indicted on 21 counts --- including criminal conspiracy to commit mail, wire and securities fraud in an estimated $7 billion Ponzi scam, faces a federal judge in Houston Texas on Thursday who will decide custody.Stanford, who maintains his innocence, will ask for bail. The judge will have to decide if he is a flight risk. Granting it may entail electronic

CHECK FRAUD - Let Us Count The Ways

2009-06-24T14:05:00.002-04:00

A Primer On Check FraudNoting the rise of check fraud, here's how it's being done:Forged Signatures - Legitimate checks with illegitimate signature. Banks don’t usually verify signatures until there is a problem and need to assign liability.Forged Endorsements - Someone has stolen your check and cashed it. Consumers need to verify their bank statements regularly.Counterfeit Checks - Shred old

MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT

2009-06-13T09:48:00.001-04:00

from The New York Timesreprinted as fair use Medical ProblemsCould Include Identity Theft By WALECIA KONRAD Brandon Sharp, a 37-year-old manager at an oil and gas company in Houston, has never had any real health problems and, luckily, he has never stepped foot in an emergency room. So imagine his surprise a few years ago when he learned he owed thousands of dollars worth of

STANFORD LIQUIDATORS FEUD

2009-06-13T09:44:00.002-04:00

from Bloombergreprinted as fair useBy Lindsay Fortado and Laurel Brubaker CalkinsHOUSTON, USA (Bloomberg) -- Allen Stanford’s UK assets seized in a fraud probe have sparked a legal fight between court-appointed liquidators from the US and Antigua who are both seeking the right to distribute the money to creditors.Lawyers told a London court at a three-day hearing this week that that they can’t

INSIDER THEFT/FRAUD ON THE RISE

2009-06-13T09:36:00.002-04:00

INSIDER THEFT/FRAUDCYBER-ARK SURVEY WARNS OF DANGERSAccording to a survey conducted by security information company Cyber-Ark, the economic decline of the major Western powers coincides with an increase in the number of employees who said they would take corporate data with them if they were fired.In the survey, w respondents were asked "What would you take with you," six times as many (47%) as

Reduce Employee Theft

2009-06-13T09:30:00.004-04:00

from pre-employ.comreprinted as fair useReduce Employee Theftwith Increased Background Screening by Tom AhearnWhile many employees are honest, hard working, and – in this down economy – happy to have a job, it only takes a one “bad hire” due to poor background screening to take down an entire company. Employee theft and other illegal acts can weaken or even ruin a

FRAUD PREVENTION FOR THE ELDERLY

2009-06-12T16:17:00.003-04:00

FROM: americanchronicle.comreprinted as fair useTop Ten Elder Fraud Prevention MethodsWe all want to protect our loved ones from danger, but it's impossible to be with them every moment of the day. And unfortunate as it is, scam artists see your aging Mom or Dad as an easy target, knowing full well that elderly individuals are more likely to fall for their scams. Elder fraud often goes unreported

IMF UNHAPPY WITH UNREGULATED CARIBBEAN

2009-06-12T16:09:00.002-04:00

FROM THE JAMAICA OBSERVERreprinted as fair useBy Al EdwardsThe rise of the unregulated financial organisations (UFOs) between 2006 and 2008 in Jamaica, led by the likes of David Smith's Olint and Carlos Hill's Cash Plus, threatened to both undermine and destabalise the country's legitimate financial sector. The demise of these schemes has marked a return to a semblance of the status quo and a

THE HAMMER FALLS FOR STANFORD

2009-06-11T07:40:00.004-04:00

The auctioneer's hammer is set to fall for Allen Stanford's treasures in Miami.What's left of his south Florida empire now sits in the warehouse of AMC LiquidatorsThe artwork and furnishings of Stanford Financial Group's Miami office --- their way into the sale's rooms --- include carved entry tables with marble tops, bronze sculptures of eagles poised for a kill and a wall tapestry depicting

WHEN 419 FRAUD BECOMES A COMIC ROUTINE

2009-06-08T14:36:00.004-04:00

EVERY NOW AND THEN A 419 LETTER COMES OUT OF NIGERIA THAT IS SO FAR FETCHED, YOU'D THINK A COMEDY WRITER HAD PUT IT TOGETHER AS A SKETCH.MEET THE WIDOW OF THE LATE DICTATOR, FRAUDSTER, MURDERER AND GENERAL ALL-AROUND-NASTY-PIECE-OF -WORK, SANI ABACHA.SHE SAYS HE GAVE HER $24 MILLION AND NEEDS YOUR HELP RETRIEVING IT.HUH???reprinted here because it's just too stupid for words, fair usage or not!

Law Firms Make Easy Pickings For Embezzlers

2009-06-08T05:08:00.004-04:00

NATIONAL LAW JOURNALreprinted as fair useEmbezzlement Seems To Be On The Upswing During Recessionby Leigh JonesJames Rittinger would like to forget about the paralegal who embezzled nearly $300,000 from his New York law firm in 2005. But she won't go away. In late May, Rittinger learned that Kathy Foer-Morse had done it again, this time at a small practice in Pennsylvania. And if that weren't

ON LINE FRAUD CONCERNS

2009-06-05T17:25:00.005-04:00

FROM ECONSULTANCY.COMreprinted as fair usageby Graham Charlton Two-thirds of online retailers say they feel threatened by payment fraud, something which threatens to hold back e-commerce growth in the UK. The stats come from payment provider Sagepay, which surveyed 1,000 retailers, also revealed a lack of awareness of what they need to do to meet the industry

SFPD - CITY BY THE BAY BECOMING SCAM CAPITAL

2009-06-05T17:17:00.002-04:00

The San Francisco Police Department is worried that the City by the Bay is fast becoming the scam capital of America.Frauds are up while law enforcement assigned ti tackle those crimes, is down. It's been reported in the local press that there were 19 SFPD inspectors assigned to fraud cases in 1990, but there are only eight now. That has caused a severe backlog of cases. Those eight officers are

NOTABLE QUOTE- JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH

2009-05-31T12:17:00.003-04:00

"Recessions catch what the auditors miss.”

CRAIGSLIST GETS RELIGION

2009-05-30T17:49:00.004-04:00

Craigslist, which has suffered severe reputational risk in the past several months for publishing ads that have turned out to scams or, in a few cases, that have directly linked to stalkers and criminal activity, is getting religion. They are posting tips to avoid scams on their website. That page is reproduced here, under the doctrine of fair use. And especially because people who use Craigslist

AND STILL PEOPLE FALL FOR IT

2009-05-30T17:02:00.002-04:00

The charity United Way of Central Indiana has been forced to warn people that they have not sponsored a contest and that they are not paying people anything for having supposedly won $150,000 in London.The scam goes like this. People have received letters announcing that they have won a sweepstakes in England, but need to pay $3750 in tax before they can collect their prize. The checks are

WHITE COLLAR CRIME STUDY - FRAUD INCREASING

2009-05-28T08:48:00.003-04:00

A 2009 study by the Association of Fraud Examiners (AFE) found that more than 55-percent of its members conducted more fraud-related investigations in 2008 than the year before. According to the study, known offenders felt financial pressure before committing the crime. The study also found:* Companies tend not to report or prosecute these crimes out of embarrassment that an employee was stealing

ID THEFT - SOUND ADVICE

2009-05-28T08:40:00.002-04:00

Being prepared for a possible ID theft attack is the best way to minimize your losses. Keep credit card numbers, bank account numbers and important phone numbers handy so that you can report problems. If you fall victim to identity theft, immediately contact the three major credit bureaus and tell them you want to have fraud alerts added right away on your files.You can find them at:Equifax (

CELLPHONES TO BEAT CREDIT CARD FRAUD

2009-05-27T19:31:00.003-04:00

Cellphone maker Ericsson is pioneering a security service which will link the use of a credit card with the legal owners geographic location, as detected by the GPS system on his/her cellphone.The company believes it could cut down on credit card fraud as well as eliminate an inconvenience for travelers using cards overseas.Banks will no longer have to block card transactions in high-risk

FRAUD AGAINST THE ELDERLY ON THE RISE

2009-05-27T19:13:00.003-04:00

Fraud against the elderly is on the rise, according to a report by law enforcement officials in North Carolina.The use of the Internet and increased wealth of retirees has triggered an increase of the elderly being deliberately targeted.According to the report, these retiree specific frauds include sophisticated, international telemarketing check and sweepstake schemes and Internet based identity

CAMEROON IN BID TO TAKE OVER FROM NIGERIA

2009-05-25T11:56:00.002-04:00

The US Embassy in Cameroon is warning that fraudsters and scammers in the West African nation have begun competing with their Nigerian neighbors in trying to defraud westerners, especially Americans.These schemes, most of them online --- but some still using unsolicited faxes, cold call telephone gimmicks and classified ads --- range from asking for donations for fictitious charities to the usual

THE FRAUD REPORT AT TWITTER

2009-05-24T12:03:00.002-04:00

Don't forget to check out TheFraudReport at:http://twitter.com/thefraudreport

LATEST SCAM FROM IRAQ

2009-05-24T12:00:00.003-04:00

The old ones are the best, so this old one has a new touch. It's an email/letter supposedly from a US soldier serving in Iraq. It says:"Some money in various currencies was discovered concealed in barrels with piles of weapons and ammunition at a location near one of Saddam’s old palaces during a rescue operation, and it was agreed by all party present that the money be shared amongst us, this

MORTGAGE FRAUD AND OTHER CRIMES - FINCEN

2009-05-24T11:31:00.002-04:00

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) reports that mortgage fraudsters are often involved in check fraud, money laundering, stock manipulation, structuring to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements and other crimes. Having identified approximately 156,000 mortgage fraud subjects, FINCEN report shows that 2,360 were involved in suspicious activities that showed up in nearly

FACEBOOK FRAUD CONTINUES

2009-05-24T11:26:00.002-04:00

Facebook, the social networking site, continues to be hit by fraudsters and scammers looking to take advantage of the site's younger subscribers.The latest ruse is a note asking subscribers to hit the link, FBAction.net.This link takes you to a page designed to look like a legitimate Facebook page --- classic phishing --- which will then record your login information and, immediately locks you

BRITISH SURVEYS SHOW EXPERIENCE COSTS

2009-05-23T10:05:00.003-04:00

Two new surveys, just released in the UK, show that experienced investors are more likely to fall victim to a financial scam. It comes down to "overconfidence," according to one report published by Exeter University.In the other, released by trading standard officers, 35% of people targeted by fraudsters are over 65. And 41% of the people in that age group did not understand how that fraudsters

THE BEST LAID PLANS

2009-05-22T15:34:00.002-04:00

Charles Largent of Plumas Lake, California knew a good deal when he saw one.Logging onto various brokerage sites, such as E-Trade and Charles Schwab, he discovered that, in order to verify his bank account, the brokerages would make a tiny deposit into his account --- anywhere from 1c to $2.So he began registering fake online accounts in order to pocket those test deposits.From November 2007

SOME MADOFF INVESTORS "MAY HAVE KNOWN"

2009-05-20T02:20:00.002-04:00

FROM ATTORNEYATLAW.COMreprinted as fair useSome Madoff Investors and Associates May Have Known of Fraud, Prosecutors Say Authorities working to unravel the $65 billion Ponzi scheme run by former investment advisor Bernard Madoff now say a few high-profile clients and friends may have known of the fraud and assisted in the scheme. According to a Wall Street Journal report,

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CONRAD BLACK APPEAL

2009-05-20T02:13:00.001-04:00

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMESREPRINTED AS FAIR USEConrad Black's anti-fraud case will go to Supreme Court Justices have agreed to hear an appeal by the former newspaper executive, who says he was wrongly convicted of failing to provide 'honest services.' By David G. Savage

THE FRAUD REPORT

DAILY BEAST "HOT READ" - 9/2/2011

Where Dictators Hide Their Money

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THE TAKEDOWN by Jeffrey Robinson

You Are What You Throw Away - Jeffrey Robinson on Identity Theft

So, if you wouldn't give a stranger your mother's maiden name...

A Two-Way Street Crime

Is This the Party To Whom I’m Currently Stealing

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There's A Sucker Born Every Minute

Your New Best Friend: The Tooth Fairy