scam

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If You Get a Call From 'Elliot Stewart,' Be Wary

$13M has been stolen from the elderly in a rare-wine scam

(Newser) - The world of fine wine and whiskey continues to be a magnet for thieves and frauds . The Washington Post reports on allegations that three England-based companies claiming huge returns on investments in rare booze actually stole more than $13 million from at least 150 Americans—many of them elderly. Representatives...

Romance Scammer Posed With Wads of Cash in Photos

New Jersey's Rubbin Sarpong is sentenced to 14 years in prison

(Newser) - A New Jersey man just got sentenced to 14 years in prison over an online scam in which he tricked about 40 women on dating websites into sending him money. Prosecutors say one of the women killed herself after wiring him $93,000 and realizing she'd been duped, reports...

She Asked the Handyman Out. She Would Come to Regret It

'Toronto Life' delves into Heather Rovet's relationship with an alleged serial scammer

(Newser) - It was an innocuous start. The handyman who showed up to fix her cabinets in July 2018 turned out to be talkative and charming. On a return visit to fix a towel rack, Heather Rovet asked him out, and the relationship quickly became serious. She wouldn't learn what a...

Florida Parents Fall Victim to Easter Egg Scam

They say they were asked to pay in advance for 'Egg My Yard' deal

(Newser) - A cruel scam left children in central Florida thinking the Easter Bunny had skipped their home, parents say. The scammed parents say somebody calling themselves "Sarah Honey" advertised an "Egg My Yard" deal on social media, promising to scatter eggs filled with candy or toys in yards, along...

SIM Swaps Are on the Rise
SIM Swaps Are on the Rise
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 26, 2022 6:00 PM CST

SIM Swaps Are on the Rise

The sophisticated scam cost people $68M last year

(Newser) - Beware the SIM swap. The FBI says the sophisticated scam that involves hackers getting access to first your cell phone and then your financial accounts is on the rise, Fox News reports. It starts with scammers getting someone's personal details, which can be done via phishing emails, phishing calls,...

Cops: Grandma Outsmarts Her Would-Be Scammer

Long Island woman, 73, lures him to her home, where police were waiting

(Newser) - This time, the "grandparent scam" backfired in a big way an on alleged scammer. Police on Long Island say a 73-year-old woman lured a man trying to con her out of $8,000 to her home, where officers arrested him, reports News 12 . The case unfolded last week, when...

Victim of Harvard Jobs Scam: 'How Could I Be So Stupid?'

'NYT' digs in to the fraudsters who targeted Nidhi Razdan, others

(Newser) - "How could I be so stupid?" It's the question that repeats in Nidhi Razdan's brain. She's the former NDTV news anchor who in January revealed she had been the victim of a sophisticated scam: one in which she quit her high-profile job to take a position...

Police: Teenage Thief Got $36M in Cryptocurrency

Canadian scammer intercepted authentication request, investigators say

(Newser) - A cross-border investigation has led to the arrest of a teenager in Canada suspected of a cryptocurrency theft of more than $36 million US from a single person. Officials called it the largest cryptocurrency scam involving one person in Canadian history, CTV News reports. Police did not release the age...

A Common Housing Scam Is Plaguing Detroit Residents

Some 10% of people facing eviction there may have fallen victim to it

(Newser) - The eviction notice made no sense. June Walker flat out owned her Detroit home—or so she thought. As NBC News and Outlier Media report as part of a four-month investigation, the 65-year-old is part of an increasingly common "fake landlord" scam plaguing the city that's thought to...

Radio Host Gets 3 Life Sentences for Ponzi Scheme

William Neil Gallagher vowed to help people retire safe, did the opposite

(Newser) - It turns out the "Money Doctor" didn't dispense much in the way of financial health. Texas radio host William Neil Gallagher—who went by that name and ran the Gallagher Financial Group—was on Monday sentenced to three life sentences for bilking 192 people out of at least...

Squid Game-Inspired Scammers Make Off With $3M

Cryptocurrency SQUID, which generated a lot of headlines, could be bought but not sold

(Newser) - A cryptocurrency seemingly linked to Netflix blockbuster Squid Game turned out to be a scam that netted its creators more than $3 million. SQUID, touted as a "play-to-earn cryptocurrency," had surged in price in recent days, hitting a peak of $2,861 early Monday after outlets including the...

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty in COVID Vaccine Scam

Fake site set up to look just like Moderna's offered supposed doses for $30 a pop, feds say

(Newser) - Earlier this year, before COVID vaccines were readily available to eligible patients, a website suddenly popped up advertising Moderna doses for $30 each. That site turned out to be a fake, and now a Maryland man has owned up to his role in getting it up and running. The Baltimore ...

Cops: Wife Told Husband He Had Alzheimer&#39;s, Stole $600K
Cops: Wife Duped Husband for
Years, to the Tune of $600K
in case you missed it
Oct 31, 2021 8:45 AM CDT

Cops: Wife Duped Husband for Years, to the Tune of $600K

Donna Marino's spouse didn't have Alzheimer's but she made him think he did to control his money

(Newser) - For two decades, a Connecticut man says he let his wife handle virtually all of his finances for him, a move he apparently felt even more necessary once he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. At least, he thought he'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. East Haven police say that'...

Broken Hearts, Empty Wallets: Seniors Catfished for $139M

FTC report says there was a 'surge' in 2020 in romance scams bamboozling Americans 60 and over

(Newser) - Last month, the Department of Justice announced money laundering and wire fraud charges brought against nearly a dozen "romance scammers," and that's only scratching the surface of what the Washington Post calls a "surge" in such deceptions made worse by the pandemic, especially for the senior...

'Grandparent Scam' Victim Sues Her Bank

Florida widow lost more than $700K, says bank was negligent

(Newser) - The "grandparent scam" has been around for a while, but the Tampa Bay Times reports on one with a particularly large payday and an unusual legal twist. An attorney for 82-year-old Anna Nunn of Florida says his widowed client was bilked of more than $700,000—and she's...

Wedding Florist's Alleged Shtick: Not Showing Up

Ohio AG says Desiree Gilliam Pace scammed 48 clients out of $50K

(Newser) - A purported florist allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars from couples ahead of their weddings, but never showed up with the ordered flowers. That's according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who's suing the now-shuttered Flowers by Des in Xenia, Greene County, for violations of the Consumers...

It&#39;s the &#39;Most Meaningful Regulatory Action Ever&#39; on Robocalls
It's the 'Most
Meaningful
Regulatory Action
Ever' on Robocalls
in case you missed it
Jul 11, 2021 5:34 PM CDT

It's the 'Most Meaningful Regulatory Action Ever' on Robocalls

FCC requiring phone providers to verify phone number before call is made

(Newser) - If you've noticed a recent drop in spam calls, thank the Federal Communications Commission. As of June 30, major US phone providers must use caller ID authentication meant to block spoofed robocalls, costing Americans some $10 billion annually, and help "law enforcement track bad actors," according to...

Vaccine Recipients Got Salt Water: India

Doctors were involved in scam, police say

(Newser) - Scores of people in India who traveled to vaccination camps received injections of salt water instead of vaccine that would protect them against the coronavirus, authorities say. About a dozen private sites were set up in the city of Mumbai in May and June, the New York Times reports, that...

He Thought He Found Love in Ukraine. Then a 'Surreal' Twist

UK man tells BBC how he lost $250K in a Ukraine scam

(Newser) - "I was such an idiot." So declares a UK man identified only as James as he explains to the BBC how he became the victim of a $250,000 scam. The 52-year-old charity worker was in Ukraine when his translator set him up on a blind date with...

How Scammers Made Use of MacKenzie Scott's Largesse

She gave billions directly to foundations, and scammers took advantage of that

(Newser) - "What a gift she’s given them," professor Marti DeLiema tells the New York Times of MacKenzie Scott and the almost $6 billion she gave away last year. But the "them" DeLiema is referring to isn't the hundreds of nonprofits who were surprised to get an...

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