Counterfeit DEA and FBI Badges Stopped by Chicago CBP
This isn’t the first time CBP has seen counterfeit federal law enforcement badges. They have seen counterfeit U.S. Marshal badges and other knock-off law enforcement badges. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Pharmacist Arrested for Selling COVID Vaccination Cards Online
According to court documents, in March and April 2021, Tangtang Zhao, 34, of Chicago, sold 125 authentic CDC vaccination cards to 11 different buyers for approximately $10 per card. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
OIG: COVID-19 Support Presents Oversight Challenges for Transportation
COVID-19 has impacted the U.S. transportation industry in myriad ways, and DOT agencies have moved quickly to release the over $106 billion that Congress provided to help workers, families, and businesses deal with the pandemic. Keep Reading
Minnesota Residents Receiving Calls from CBP Impersonators
Residents are reporting the calls are a pre-recorded message stating “a box of drugs and money being shipped; has your (callers) name on it and it has been intercepted.” The caller is then instructed to press #1 to speak with a CBP officer/agent. Keep Reading
Cryptocurrency Fraudster Sentenced for Money Laundering and Securities Fraud in Multi-Million Dollar Investment Scheme
A Swedish man was sentenced on July 8 to 15 years in prison for securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges that defrauded thousands of victims of more than $16 million. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Telegram Fraudsters Ramp Up Forged COVID-19 Vaccine Card Sales
Telegram groups are being abused by fraudsters peddling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to the unvaccinated and anti-vaxxer communities, according to researchers. Keep Reading
Election Security
Scam PACs Are on the Rise, Says FBI
After a failed run for U.S. Congress in 2016, Harold Russell Taub turned his energy to political fundraising. Namely, soliciting donations to two political action committees (PACs) he created. Keep Reading
Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Roles in Transnational Cybercrime Enterprise
Two foreign nationals — one Russian, the other North Macedonian national — have been sentenced for their role in the Infraud Organization, a transnational cybercrime enterprise engaged in the mass acquisition and sale of fraud-related goods and services, including stolen identities, compromised credit card data, computer malware, and other contraband. Keep Reading
DHS OIG Participates in the 2nd Annual National ‘Slam the Scam’ Day
Most recently, scammers, posing as DHS officials, have used Facebook and Instagram accounts in an attempt to swindle money through Cash App and gift cards. Keep Reading
DEA Warning: Scammers Impersonating Agents Are Stealing Identities, Money
There are variations in the false narrative, among them, that the target’s name was used to rent a vehicle which was stopped at the border and contained a large quantity of drugs. Keep Reading
International Memory Card Scam Busted
An organized crime network established a complex trading scheme with Secure Digital memory cards for electronic devices, which is believed to have defrauded the Dutch treasury of an estimated €9 million between 2017 and 2019. Keep Reading
Successful Hit Against Organized Crime Group Trafficking Drugs in the EU
The Polish Police Central Bureau of Investigation (Policja) has arrested seven suspects allegedly linked to a high-risk poly-criminal organized network operating in different EU countries. Keep Reading
RUSI: Why Fraud is the New National Security Threat
The report warns that the prevailing political narrative fails to convey the full impact of fraud, beyond the perspective of financial losses or the psychological impact on victims. In particular, they say scant attention has been given to the links between fraud and organized crime and terrorism. Keep Reading
Houston Man Admits to Hijacking Interstate Freight Shipment
Maksims Klopovs admitted he was to be paid for picking up a large load of computers and other electronics originally set for delivery to a college in Corpus Christi. Keep Reading
3 Former Coast Guard Employees Among 31 Charged in Mariner Exam-Score Fixing Scheme
The indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana alleges that Coast Guard credentialing specialist Dorothy Smith took bribes to alter test scores with former Coast Guard employees Beverly McCrary and Eldridge Johnson acting as intermediaries. Keep Reading
Organized Crime Groups Expolit Africa’s Mobile Money Industry
The criminal exploitation of mobile money services includes fraud, money laundering, extortion, human trafficking and people smuggling, the illegal wildlife trade and terrorism. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
DOJ, HHS, FTC Partner to Alert Public of Contact Tracing COVID-19 Fraud Schemes
Contact tracing scams often appear in the form of text messages or telephone calls seeking money, or Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, along with other sensitive information not required for authentic contact tracing. Keep Reading
Europol Launches New Center for Financial and Economic Crime
Europol has found that 98.9% of estimated criminal profits are not confiscated and remain at the disposal of criminals. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
HSI Partners with Pfizer, 3M, Citi, Alibaba, Amazon, Merck to Protect Consumers Against COVID-19-Related Fraud
Since the start of the pandemic, HSI and other law enforcement agencies have seen a significant increase in criminals attempting to capitalize and profit from the fear and anxiety surrounding the virus, including the sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
ICE HSI Launches Operation Stolen Promise to Combat COVID-19 Crime
Surging criminal activity surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic requires an equally robust investigative response to protect the American public. Keep Reading