All articles tagged with #scam
A California couple (79 and 80) were found with traumatic injuries after being targeted by a scammer posing as Tom Selleck; police say the deaths appear to be a murder-suicide and there is no evidence the impersonator was involved, with the wife having sent about $30,000 before authorities intervened.
An elderly California couple was found dead in a suspected murder‑suicide after the wife, Karen Whitaker, had fallen victim to a year‑long financial scam by someone posing as Tom Selleck, who convinced her to send money via gift cards; the scam escalated despite family intervention and alerts to authorities, but officials say there is no evidence the impersonator caused the deaths and Selleck is not implicated.
Morning Shots argues that Trump's post-presidency ventures reveal loyalty-driven revenue schemes and political maneuvers: Trump Mobile sold a $100 deposit for a $499 made-in-America phone that never shipped, with terms later recast to a conditional opportunity rather than a purchase; the piece also details South Carolina's redistricting fight to diminish James Clyburn's seat and notes GOP tensions and ambassadorship picks as signs of a party chasing loyalty over policy.
Security researchers from ESET uncovered 28 Android apps on Google Play that claimed to unlock access to call histories but merely charged users for fake data; together they amassed over 7.3 million downloads before removal, with payments made via Google Play Billing, UPI-based apps (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm), or direct card checkout. Some apps even spoofed an Indian government developer name. Refunds may be available for Google Play purchases, but third‑party payments aren’t refundable. The report also notes a separate Indonesian fraud campaign (GoldFactory) using phishing, malware, and social engineering to steal about $2 million.
Franklin County officials warn of a scam text claiming unpaid parking or toll fines, threatening payment or court appearance; the Franklin County Municipal Clerk’s Office and Ohio Attorney General’s Office say to ignore suspicious texts and verify any fines through official channels.
TikTok removed AI-generated fake ads for prescription weight loss drugs pretending to be Boots after the company complained, highlighting concerns over misleading AI content and illegal advertising of prescription medicines on social media.
A Utah man, Parker Wilde, was ordered to pay up to $7.9 million after scamming hundreds of people with a fraudulent Amazon store business scheme, promising passive income and refunds but instead misappropriating funds for personal use. The court also banned him from participating in similar schemes within Utah, marking a significant victory for consumer protection.
An elderly woman in East Los Angeles was scammed by con artists who stole her necklace containing her late daughter's ashes after asking for prayers and pretending to need help, highlighting a heartbreaking theft of sentimental value.
An 86-year-old woman from NYC lost $700,000 to a sophisticated scam that exploited her age-related memory loss, leading her to make unauthorized withdrawals. Her family is now suing Bank of America and Merrill Lynch for negligence, arguing that the banks failed to flag unusual activity despite her history of small withdrawals and added oversight.
Trump Mobile is still selling refurbished phones from other brands despite the T1 smartphone remaining unreleased and being considered vaporware. The company has not provided updates on the T1's release, and its claims of US manufacturing were retracted, raising concerns about its legitimacy.
Google is suing a Chinese-speaking cybercriminal group called Darcula for sending massive scam text messages impersonating organizations like the IRS and USPS, aiming to seize their web infrastructure and stop their operations. The group has stolen nearly 900,000 credit card numbers and sent over 5,000 scam texts to Americans recently, highlighting the ongoing threat of cyber scams targeting U.S. citizens.
Joe Novak was deceived by a fake online romance that led him to invest $280,000 in a scam, highlighting the dangers of sophisticated crypto fraud schemes known as 'pig-butchering' which have drained billions from victims in the US.
Google has filed a lawsuit to dismantle the Lighthouse criminal enterprise responsible for widespread phishing scams targeting Americans through Telegram channels, aiming to stop the spread of scam texts like E-Z Pass and USPS notifications, and to hold the perpetrators accountable for wire fraud and other charges.
Google has filed a lawsuit to dismantle Lighthouse, a network providing tools for large-scale phishing scams that create fake websites to steal sensitive information, affecting millions of potential victims. The company aims to have the scheme declared illegal and removed from the internet, while supporting legislation to combat such scams.
Google is suing 25 individuals involved in a large-scale scam text operation using a phishing-as-a-service platform called Lighthouse, which has been responsible for billions of dollars in fraud through impersonation and scam messages globally.