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☆ Scammers tried to steal Graceland. Here’s how to make sure they don’t get your home
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Experts say rental properties, vacation homes and homes where the owners are deceased can be targets of home title theft. Here are some ways to protect yourself:What is home title fraud? Home title fraud occurs when scammers impersonate homeowners to refinance or sell a victim’s property and pocket the money. In an email associated with Naussany Investments to CNN, a self-proclaimed scammer claimed responsibility for the attempted home title fraud. A standard American Land Title Association (ALTA) homeowner’s policy of title insurance covers home title forgery and impersonation.

Persons: scammers, Elvis Presley’s, David Fleck, ”, “, ” Fleck, “ It’s, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis, Priscilla Presley, Riley Keough, Naussany, Florida notary’s, Jonathan Skrmetti, scammer, I’ve, Jeremy Miller, ” Miller, Fleck, ALTA’s, Miller Organizations: CNN, Naussany, Naussany Investments, New York Times, Times, Allstate, Consumer Financial Locations: Memphis, Tennessee, Los Angeles, Graceland, Florida, Nigeria, California, Georgia

☆ Help! A Gas Station Charged Me $1,500 and My Bank Won’t Believe It’s Fraud.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Seth Kugel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Dear Tripped Up,Last October, my extended family spent a week in Todos Santos, in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, for a wedding. Nothing else unusual happened that day, and reviews on Google for this gas station contain eerily similar accusations of fraudulent charges from other tourists. I disputed the charge, but Wells Fargo repeatedly denied my claim, even when I asked the Better Business Bureau to intercede. Dear Nate,We cannot be sure the fraud occurred at the gas station, but if so, it’s a clever scam. Humor me while I consider the situation from the perspective of a bank like Wells Fargo.

Persons: Wells Fargo, Nate, we’re Organizations: Google, Better, Bureau Locations: Todos Santos, Mexico’s Baja California, United States, San José del Cabo, Mexico City, Chevron, Wayland, Mass, Wells Fargo

☆ US and allies arrest alleged cybercrime ringleader, seize millions in sports cars in major Covid-19 fraud bust
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The alleged cybercriminal conduct and the lavish lifestyle it funded “reads like it’s ripped from a screenplay,” Matthew Axelrod, a senior US Commerce Department official involved in the investigation, said in a statement. Wang used money he earned from renting the botnet to buy property in those locations, according to an indictment unsealed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Authorities in Singapore and Thailand worked with the FBI on the bust, the Justice Department said. The new charges are only the latest alleged example of opportunistic fraud that has been rampant across the US since Covid-19 emerged more than four years ago. The problem got so bad that the Secret Service named a senior official as National Pandemic Fraud Recovery Coordinator to try to claw back some of the many billions that were stolen.

Persons: YunHe Wang, Fraudsters, ” Matthew Axelrod, Brett Leatherman, Wang, Leatherman Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Justice, Treasury, US Commerce Department, Royce, FBI, Court, Eastern, Eastern District of, Authorities, Service, IRS Locations: Singapore, East Asia, Caribbean, Eastern District, Eastern District of Texas, Thailand

☆ Deepfake scams have robbed companies of millions. Experts warn it could get worse
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A growing wave of deepfake scams has looted millions of dollars from companies worldwide, and cybersecurity experts warn it could get worse as criminals exploit generative AI for fraud. A deep fake is a video, sound, or image of a real person that has been digitally altered and manipulated, often through artificial intelligence, to convincingly misrepresent them. In one of the largest known case this year, a Hong Kong finance worker was duped into transferring more than $25 million to fraudsters using deepfake technology who disguised themselves as colleagues on a video call, authorities told local media in February. "The public accessibility of these services has lowered the barrier of entry for cyber criminals — they no longer need to have special technological skill sets," Fairman said. The volume and sophistication of the scams have expanded as AI technology continues to evolve, he added.

Persons: Arup, —, David Fairman, Fairman Organizations: CNBC Locations: Hong Kong, —

☆ A sports bettor scored an 80,860% gain on a $100 parlay ticket for the NBA Championship
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A sports bettor turned $100 into more than $80,000 after cashing out of his championship parlay bet. The $100 parlay ticket created by Shelton in May 2023 was based on who would win the MLB World Series, the NFL Super Bowl, and the NBA Championship. Shelton said DraftKings offered him an initial $11,000 to cash out his $100 parlay ticket. Shelton had previously shopped around his $100 parlay ticket after the Thunder won the first round of their playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans. Using sports bet platform WagerWire, Shelton said he received offers for as much as $200,000 for his parlay ticket.

Persons: Wayne Shelton, Shelton, —, Mary, DraftKings Organizations: Texas Rangers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oklahoma City Thunder, DraftKings, Thunder, Service, MLB, NFL Super, NBA, Dallas Mavericks, Twitter, Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Rangers, Florida Panthers Locations: DraftKings, OKC

☆ Arup revealed as victim of $25 million deepfake scam involving Hong Kong employee
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —A British multinational design and engineering company behind world famous buildings such as the Sydney Opera House has confirmed that it was the target of a deepfake scam that led to one of its Hong Kong employees paying out $25 million to fraudsters. A spokesperson for Arup told CNN on Friday that it notified Hong Kong police in January about the fraud incident, and confirmed that fake voices and images were used. “Unfortunately, we can’t go into details at this stage as the incident is still the subject of an ongoing investigation. According to Hong Kong police, the elaborate scam saw the employee duped into attending a video call with people he believed were the CFO and other members of staff, but all of whom turned out to be deepfake recreations, Hong Kong police revealed in February. Authorities around the world are growing increasingly concerned about the sophistication of deepfake technology and the nefarious uses it can be put to.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Arup, ” Rob Greig, Michael Kwok Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Sydney Opera, Hong Kong, CNN, Hong, Beijing Olympic Games, Arup’s East Locations: Hong Kong, British, Hong, Arup’s East Asia

☆ Hackers really, really like trying to take over your food delivery apps
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewYour DoorDash or other food delivery apps are a prime target for hackers. One reason: food delivery apps use two-factor authentication — like those codes texted to you before you can log in — less often than other kinds, Sift found. Just 3.5% of log-ins on food delivery apps asked for that kind of verification, making it easier for hackers to get in. Related storiesHackers also target food delivery accounts since many customers only use them periodically — meaning they're less likely to notice if someone takes control. AdvertisementDo you work for DoorDash, Instacart, Uber Eats, or another gig delivery service and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Brittany Allen, Allen, fraudsters, Uber Organizations: Service, Business, Facebook, Walmart Locations: cryptocurrency

☆ A Chinese criminal ring has stolen $50 million by franchising thousands of fake online shops, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The group, known as 'BogusBazaar,' has processed over $50 million in fake orders, the study found. As the rise of online shopping took hold during the pandemic, so did the rise of fake online shops and products. Instead, the sites harvest credit card details and collect payments for the fake merchandise. AdvertisementThe fake shops processed over $50 million in orders between March 2021 and April 2024, SR Labs says. But the exposure of credit card details to the scammers will likely "add to the overall damage."

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Labs, SR Labs, Business Locations: Europe, German, France, United States, Western Europe, China

☆ Credit Cards Are Smarter: Better Fraud Detection, No Travel Alerts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

I don't know how JPMorgan Chase knew that I would spend $200 on Botox in Argentina, but it did. It's great that banks and credit-card companies are getting better at discerning which payments are fraudulent and which are legit. Credit-card fraud protection is still far from perfect, but there's no denying that the technology is improving. So I reached out to some credit-card companies and academics to learn more. But it's cool that companies really are making fraud detection better, especially in a world where fraudsters themselves are constantly getting better.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, it's, Nilson, We've, that's, Tina Eide, Eide, Mike Lemberger, they've, Lemberger, here's, Yann, Aël Le Borgne, Gianluca Bontempi, Bontempi, I'd, Le Borgne, somebody's, Emily Stewart Organizations: Citibank, JPMorgan, Federal Trade Commission, American Express, Netflix, Libre de Bruxelles, Companies, Visa, Citi, Business Locations: California, Buenos Aires, Botox, Argentina, North America, Belgium, Lemberger

☆ Warren Buffett: AI has 'enormous potential for good and enormous potential for harm'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

You're unlikely to see Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett adding artificial intelligence stocks to his vast portfolio anytime soon. One of AI's applications that stuck out to the legendary investor: its potential utility for fraudsters. "When you think about the potential for scamming people ... if I was interested in investing in scamming, it's gonna be the growth industry of all time and it's enabled, in a way," Buffett said. Buffett would go on to compare the invention of AI to the development of the atomic bomb. Here's what he said.

Persons: Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, Buffett, it's Organizations: Berkshire Locations: scamming

☆ How Shruti Gandhi, a solo venture capitalist with 15 exits in 5 years, went from underestimated to unstoppable
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Shruti Gandhi has a simple rule for meeting founders: She only takes the meeting if she wants to invest. Being the solo general partner of her firm, the early-stage outfit Array Ventures, also means she can get deals done quickly. Over the past five years, she's returned most of her maiden $7 million fund to limited partners at a net multiple of almost four. For founders, by foundersThe founders Gandhi has backed like working with her because of her technical chops and hands-on approach. We will back you if you raise a fund,'" Gandhi said.

Persons: Shruti Gandhi, Gandhi, Nikhil Teja Kolli, Kolli, she's, wasn't, Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Champ Bennett, Zimperium's Zuk Avraham, Mehul Nariyawala, Google —, Doktor Gurson, Gurson Organizations: Ventures, Business, PayPal, IBM, Columbia University, True Ventures, Samsung, Google, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Rad Locations: India, Poughkeepsie , New York, She's

☆ From 25 years in prison to just four months: Inside the final verdict on a crypto billionaire CEO archrivalry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Combination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance. A month earlier, on the opposite coast in downtown Manhattan, FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison sentence for his crimes. At the beginning of his trial, SBF sported a fresh haircut and wore suits, but by its end, his curls were wild again. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao speaks at a Binance fifth anniversary event in Paris, France, July 8, 2022. watch nowMoney makes all the differenceUnlike SBF, CZ didn't have his wealth wiped out by bankruptcy of the crypto company he founded.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Zhao Changpeng, Mike Segar, Benjamin Girette, Changpeng Zhao, FTX's Sam Bankman, Fried, Zhao, Binance's Zhao, FTX's, Toyotas, Braden Perry, Perry, Manfred, SBF, Michael Lewis, Lewis, Sam didn't, Amr Alfiky, Sam, Caroline Ellison, —, Zhao's, Yi He, Binance, David Ryder, Yang, Rachel Zhao, Yesha Yadav, Yadav, Mark Bini, Lewis Kaplan, Bankman, Kaplan, perjured, Neama Rahmani, Rahmani, Tre Lovell, Zhao hasn't, Lovell, weren't, FTX Organizations: Reuters, Bloomberg, Getty, Department of Justice, CFTC, Stanford University's, Bankman, CZ, Staff, Reuters Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Vanderbilt University, Wall Street, CNBC, FTX, Emergency Economic, Justice Department, DOJ Locations: Seattle, Manhattan, California, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Palo Alto, U.S, New York City, Alameda, Seattle , Washington, Paris, France, Angeles, Binance, Dubai, Delaware

☆ Taylor Swift fans lose at least $1 million to Eras Tour scams in the UK
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Thousands of Taylor Swift’s UK fans have been duped into buying fake tickets for her upcoming Eras Tour concerts, according to a major British bank. With all UK dates now sold out, desperate fans are more likely to turn to resale sites and social media for tickets. Lloyds said it expects to see “many more fans fall victim to ticket scams in the coming weeks and months,” leading up to the first concert in Edinburgh, Scotland. According to UK Finance, a financial services industry association, Brits lost more than £40 million ($50 million) to “purchase scams,” including sales of fraudulent tickets, in the first half of last year. In November, the bank warned customers over ticket scams relating to Glastonbury, the popular outdoor music festival held annually in England in the summer.

Persons: Taylor Swift’s, —, Swift, ”, you’re, Liz Ziegler, you’ve, nothing’s, they’ve, Kirsty Adams, Taylor Swift Organizations: London CNN, Lloyds Bank, “, Lloyds, Ticketmaster, UK Finance, HSBC, Europe’s, CNN, Barclays, Glastonbury, Olympics Locations: British, Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, Edinburgh, Scotland, Glastonbury, England

☆ Global police agencies take down massive scam website that defrauded thousands of victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao | Moment | Getty ImagesA huge fraud website used by thousands of criminals to trick people into handing over personal information such as email addresses, passwords and bank details, has been infiltrated by international police. Britain's Metropolitan Police said in a statement Thursday that the website, called LabHost, was used by 2,000 criminals to steal users' personal details. Police have so far identified just under 70,000 individual U.K. victims who entered their details onto a website linked to LabHost. LabHost obtained 480,000 credit card numbers, 64,000 PIN codes, as well as more than 1 million passwords used for websites and other online services, the Metropolitan Police said. The Metropolitan Police said that up to 25,000 victims in the U.K. have been contacted by police to notify them that their data has been compromised.

Persons: LabHost, Dame Lynne Owens, Owens Organizations: Britain's Metropolitan Police, Police, Metropolitan Police, The Metropolitan Police, Metropolitan Police Service, Intel, Microsoft, Shadowserver Foundation, Trend, Cyber Defence Alliance, National Crime Agency, City of London Police

☆ Taylor Swift fans in the UK have been scammed out of $1.2 million, bank says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Katie Balevic | Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK Taylor Swift fans have lost over $1.2 million to Eras Tour ticket scams, Lloyds Bank says. Most of the ticket scams targeted 25- 34-year-olds through fake ads on Facebook. AdvertisementIt looks like it's heating up to be a Cruel Summer — at least for Swifties in the United Kingdom seeking Eras Tour tickets. Fans of Taylor Swift have already been scammed out of over $1.2 million trying to purchase concert tickets, mostly through Facebook, according to Lloyds Bank. "For her legion of dedicated Swifties, the excitement is building ahead of Taylor's Eras Tour finally touching down in the UK this summer.

Persons: Taylor Swift, —, Liz Ziegler, Swift, Alma Galvan Organizations: Lloyds Bank, Facebook, Service, Swifties, United, Lloyds, Ticketmaster, Business, San Francisco Better Business, ABC, BBB, Facebook Marketplace, Paypal Goods, Services Locations: United Kingdom, United States

☆ Roku security breach: 576,000 accounts affected by cyberattack, company says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( John Towfighi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —About 576,000 Roku accounts were compromised in a cyberattack, the company said on Friday, the second security breach for the streaming service this year. The security breach was discovered while Roku monitored account activity after a cyberattack affected 15,000 accounts earlier this year. Credentials used to access Roku accounts were likely from a data breach on a different site, the company said in a statement. User passwords have been automatically reset, and users affected by the security breach will be contacted by Roku, the company said in a statement. Your account security is a top priority, and we are committed to protecting your Roku account,” the company said in a statement.

Persons: Roku, fraudsters, there’s, “ Organizations: CNN

☆ Google says crypto fraudsters are making it look bad
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google is suing two crypto scammers it says threatened the integrity of its platforms. Scammers tricked Google Play into hosting 87 fake crypto apps, conning over 100,000 users, Google says. The lawsuit alleges the fraudsters tricked Google into accepting their apps on its app store, Google Play, by misrepresenting their identity, location, and intent. Advertisement"By using Google Play to conduct their Fraud Scheme, Defendants have threatened the integrity of Google Play and the user experience," the lawsuit states. "Defendant's scheme has thus impaired Google users' confidence and trust in Google, its services, and its platforms."

Persons: Scammers, —, Halimah DeLaine Prado Organizations: Google, Service Locations: New York, Shenzhen, China, Hong Kong

☆ Gangs netting up to $3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Human trafficking-fueled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to $3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels. One international organized crime group makes $50 billion a year, according to Interpol secretary-general Jurgen Stock, adding that $2 trillion to $3 trillion of illicit money flows through the global financial system annually. While drug trafficking contributes around 40% to 70% of organized crime income, criminal groups are also using those smuggling networks to illegally move humans, arms and stolen products among other things, Stock said. Criminal enterprises also exist in Laos, Thailand and the Philippines, with many of the lucrative online scam operations ranging from illegal gambling, to love scams and crypto fraud. Beijing has pressed Myanmar’s military government to rein in the scam operations, but with limited success.

Persons: Jurgen Stock, Stock, ” Stock, Human Rights Volker Turk Organizations: CNN, Interpol, International Monetary Fund, Covid, ”, “, United Nations, UN, Human Rights, Philippine News Agency Locations: Southeast Asia, Singapore, Asia, United States, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Philippines, China –, Beijing, China, Manila, what’s, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong

☆ How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Sentence Compares With Other White-Collar Cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( David Yaffe-Bellany | More About David Yaffe-Bellany | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two years in prison for tax and securities violations. The country’s most notorious white-collar fraudsters — like Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes — have received a range of punishments for their crimes, from relatively short prison terms to effectively a life sentence. On Thursday, Sam Bankman-Fried, the onetime cryptocurrency mogul, joined their ranks, receiving a 25-year sentence for fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. In legal filings, prosecutors cited 13 examples of white-collar prosecutions that involved a loss of more than $100 million. In all but two of those cases, the defendant was sentenced to 40 years or more.

Persons: Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes —, Sam Bankman, Fried, FTX

☆ A Chinese takeaway worker who had 61,000 bitcoin worth $1.8 billion seized by police found guilty of money laundering
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In 2021, police seized 61,000 bitcoin from digital wallets linked to the Chinese takeaway worker. AdvertisementA former Chinese takeaway worker was found guilty of a money laundering offense after police discovered that she'd converted bitcoin worth billions into cash and big-ticket items including jewelry and properties in Dubai. The case unfolded after police seized 61,000 bitcoin from digital wallets linked to Wen in 2021. The crypto haul, which was worth £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) then and would now be valued at $3.8 billion, the CPS said. AdvertisementWhen challenged, the woman said she'd made the money legitimately through bitcoin mining, and later claimed her employer gave her 3,000 bitcoin then worth about £15 million.

Persons: Jian Wen, Wen, —, Prosecutors, Cash, Jian, CPS Wen, she'd, Andrew Penhale, Adrian Foster Organizations: Service, Southwark Crown, CPS, UK . Police Locations: London, Dubai, Southwark, Leeds, China

☆ Refund fraud schemes promoted on TikTok, Telegram are costing Amazon and other retailers billions of dollars
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The following month, 10 men were indicted in Oklahoma, charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud for allegedly operating a refund fraud service named Artemis Refund Group. A thriving refund fraud marketFor every refund fraud service shut down by law enforcement, swarms of similar groups remain open for business. CNBC viewed several active refund fraud services on encrypted messaging app Telegram, each with thousands of followers. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards A Google form from an active refund fraud service explaining which stores it targets and how much it charges customers. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards A refund fraud service claims to have access to Amazon insiders in a Telegram post.

Persons: Stephanie Keith, Noah Page, Page, he'd, Ralph, —, Rick Owens, Sajed Al, Ralph Lauren, Uber, Maarej, Chris Black, Amazon, Al, they'd, Rekk, Cyril Noel, Tagoe, Noel, Louis Vuitton, scammers, Reddit, Brittany Allen, Allen, Remi Vaughn, Vaughn, she's, David Johnston, Johnston Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, National Retail Federation, Appriss, Amazon, Page, Riverside Press, Medianews, PayPal, Retailers, Artemis, Walmart, Apple, Nike, eBay, Saks Fifth, DoorDash, Google, MacBook, Mail, UPS, U.S . Postal Service, Al, Rekk, Gucci Locations: New York, Chattanooga , Tennessee, Reddit, TikTok, Eastvale, Michigan, Oklahoma, Chattanooga

☆ FTC to send $4.1 million to over 27,000 borrowers defrauded by student loan forgiveness scams
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | In Kamaronmcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Wednesday it is refunding $4.1 million to 27,584 consumers who fell victim to student debt forgiveness scams. Fraudsters "tricked students into paying hundreds to thousands of dollars in illegal upfront fees and pretended to lower consumers' monthly student loan payments," the FTC said in a press release. Additionally, the operators claimed to take over the servicing of consumers' loans and thus, often pocketed consumers' monthly payments, the agency said. Scammers lure student loan borrowers by offering ways to lower their monthly payments or even eliminate their balances. Use these tips to avoid losing money to a student loan scammer.

Persons: Fraudsters, it's, scammer Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Mission Hills Federal, Federal Direct Group, Data Initiative, FTC, Department of Justice

☆ How Fraudsters Break Into Social Security Accounts and Steal Benefits
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Tara Siegel Bernard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the past two decades, Liz Birenbaum’s 88-year-old mother, Marge, has received her Social Security check on the second Wednesday of each month. When the deposit didn’t arrive in January, they logged into Marge’s Social Security account, where they found some startling clues: the last four digits of a bank account number that didn’t match her own, at a bank they didn’t recognize. (Ms. Birenbaum requested to refer to her mother by her first name only to protect her from future fraud.) Ms. Birenbaum immediately started making calls to set things right. When she finally connected with a Social Security representative from a local office in a Bloomington, Minn., the rep casually mentioned that this happens “all the time.”

Persons: Liz Birenbaum’s, Marge, It’s, ”, Birenbaum Organizations: Social, Citibank, Social Security Locations: Chappaqua, Minnesota, Bloomington, Minn

☆ Spanish police bust alleged Banksy forgery ring
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Spanish police said they have shut down an alleged forgery ring selling fake Banksy artworks across the US and Europe for up to 1,500 euros ($1,642) a piece. Investigators seized nine artworks during a raid of an apartment in the city of Zaragoza, northern Spain, according to Catalan police. Video Ad Feedback Related video: Banksy shares behind-the-scenes video from Ukraine 00:58 - Source: CNNPolice said they have charged four people with fraud and intellectual property offenses. Investigators said Banksy’s Pest Control organization, the only body able to officially authenticate the artist’s work, has confirmed that pieces linked to the Zaragoza workshop are fake, as are the accompanying certificates. Police became suspicious after noticing that many similar works had become available on the market, the statement added.

Persons: Banksy, ” Organizations: CNN, police, Historical Heritage Unit, CNN Police, Pest Control Locations: Europe, Zaragoza, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Pest, British, Bristol, —

A general view of the Baker Library/Bloomberg Center on February 17, 2024, at Harvard Business School in Allston, MA. A Harvard Business School graduate tricked his fellow alumni and associates into investing at least $2.9 million in a Ponzi scheme he ran, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Thursday. Artamonov allegedly lured at least 29 investors into the scheme, most of whom he met through his connections to the elite college, the attorney general said. "Vladimir Artamonov used his alumnus status from Harvard Business School to prey on his classmates and others while seeming legitimate and dependable. Harvard Business School did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Letitia James, James, Vladimir Artamonov, Berkshire Hathaway, Artamonov, Artamonov's, fraudsters Organizations: Baker Library, Bloomberg Center, Harvard Business School, New York, Finance Locations: Allston , MA, Berkshire, Manhattan

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