scam

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SEC: RadioShack Revival Was a $112M Ponzi Scheme

REV founders allegedly misled investors while reviving bankrupt retail brands

(Newser) - Two men behind a company known for buying up bankrupt retail brands like RadioShack, Pier 1 Imports, and Modell's Sporting Goods now face accusations of orchestrating a $112 million Ponzi scheme. In a lawsuit filed Monday in Florida, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Alex Mehr and...

FBI Flags Mystery Packages With Fake QR Codes
Be Careful You Don't
Become a 'Quishing' Victim
in case you missed it
Sep 14, 2025 7:00 AM CDT

Be Careful You Don't Become a 'Quishing' Victim

Recipients are being tricked into scanning malicious QR codes, per the FBI

(Newser) - The FBI is sounding the alarm on a new scam straight from the "what could possibly go wrong?" file: unsolicited packages containing only a mysterious QR code. Once just an easy way to check menus or pay for takeout, QR codes have landed on the scammer's menu....

He Said He Was Stuck in Space, So She Opened Her Wallet
He Said He Was Stuck in Space,
So She Opened Her Wallet
in case you missed it
Sep 6, 2025 4:01 PM CDT

He Said He Was Stuck in Space, So She Opened Her Wallet

Scammer fools elderly Japanese woman with wild story, nabs nearly $7K

(Newser) - And you thought the AI-generated Brad Pitt scam was unbelievable. In a new case, an elderly Japanese woman was tricked out of thousands of dollars by a scammer claiming to be an astronaut stranded in space. The "romance scam" began in July when the two connected on social...

Feds: 400 Grandparents Were Bilked Out of Millions

Accused posed as grandkids in dire straits to swindle unsuspecting seniors

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors have charged 13 Dominican Republic nationals with orchestrating a scheme that defrauded more than 400 American grandparents out of $5 million by pretending to be grandchildren in distress. According to authorities, the suspects operated organized call centers in the Dominican Republic, where English-speaking callers contacted elderly victims—...

'Hollywood Con Queen' Is Headed to California for Trial

Hargobind Tahilramani, accused in $1M impersonation scam, loses extradition try in UK

(Newser) - An alleged international scam artist known as the " Hollywood Con Queen " has lost a last-ditch attempt to avoid extradition from the UK to the US, setting the stage for a dramatic trial in California. Hargobind Tahilramani, a 45-year-old Indonesian citizen, faces charges related to an alleged seven-year...

DOJ: It's the Biggest Takedown of Health Care Scams Ever

Yearly amount topped $14B, officials say on scheme that led to 320-plus people being charged

(Newser) - State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history. Law enforcement reported seizing more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency,...

Scammers Cost Seniors Nearly $5B Last Year

Americans lost $16.6B to online scams overall, per FBI report

(Newser) - Americans lost a record $16.6 billion to online scams last year, according to new data highlighting a surge in cybercrime targeting older adults and cryptocurrency investors. This is up from $12.5 billion in 2023, according to new findings on cybercriminals via the FBI's annual Internet Crime...

Cops: Woman Posed as Men in Love Scams Targeting Elderly

She allegedly tricked 4 older women out of $1.5M by wooing them into fake romances

(Newser) - An Oklahoma woman apparently got sucked too far into the online dating world—but as the scammer, not the one being scammed, according to state authorities. Christine Echohawk is accused of posing as men to woo four elderly women, with a release from the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner...

People Are Losing Their Life Savings in Whisky Scams

Unscrupulous brokers are selling nonexistent casks to people seeking long-term investments

(Newser) - Whisky casks have become an increasingly popular investment in recent years, but experts warn that there are scammers galore in the industry. A BBC investigation found that at least three companies are being investigated for selling whisky that was massively overpriced—or nonexistent.
  • Some people, who were promised that the
...

Scammers Contacted Every Adult in Canada
Scammers Contacted
Every Adult in Canada
longform
Mar 8, 2025 6:30 AM CST

Scammers Contacted Every Adult in Canada

Maclean's reports on an owed-taxes scam that's massive in scope

(Newser) - Canada has a population of about 40 million people. A story in Maclean's about the spread of phone scams contains the remarkable nugget that one particular scam operation managed to contact each and every adult in the country by phone, email, or in some other fashion. It was known...

Bogus Texts Warning of Unpaid Tolls Resurface
That Text About Your Unpaid
Tolls? You've Been 'Smished'
in case you missed it
Mar 1, 2025 7:00 AM CST

That Text About Your Unpaid Tolls? You've Been 'Smished'

FBI, FTC warn that scam messages have been hitting people's smartphones

(Newser) - If you recently received a text message reprimanding you for an unpaid road toll bill, or even "toll evasion" (as several Newser editors were accused of), you can probably ignore it. Authorities are warning that mystery texts blasted out across the country are phony, pretending to come directly from...

Australia Still Chasing Influencer Who Faked Cancer

Belle Gibson, who just got the Netflix treatment, has not yet paid her debt

(Newser) - A decade after wellness influencer Belle Gibson admitted she didn't have terminal brain cancer, which she claimed was cured by the healthy lifestyle that made her famous, her story has inspired a new Netflix series—and fresh outrage in Australia about the case's lack of resolution. Authorities said...

Woman Accused of Elaborate and Deadly Romance Scam

The 43-year-old faces charges after 3 of her alleged victims die

(Newser) - A woman allegedly used online dating apps to lure at least four older men to meet her in person, then drugged them with sedatives and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in a "sinister" romance scheme, FBI officials in Las Vegas said Friday. The AP reports three of the...

Cops: Woman Banned From All US Walmarts Strikes Again

Police say Ashley Cross, barred for 'prior shoplifting encounters,' tried one more time in Memphis

(Newser) - A woman picked up for shoplifting in a Tennessee Walmart earlier this week was apparently no newbie to the stealing scene. Per an affidavit from local police seen by USA Today , the 37-year-old suspect, identified by WREG as Ashley Cross, was arrested on Monday at one of the retailer's...

Scammers Convinced Woman She Was Dating Brad Pitt
Woman Horribly Duped
by an AI-Generated Brad Pitt
in case you missed it
Jan 19, 2025 6:58 AM CST

Woman Horribly Duped by an AI-Generated Brad Pitt

The first rule of dating 'Brad Pitt' is don't send him $855K because it's not really him

(Newser) - There's getting weak-kneed at the sight of Brad Pitt on the silver screen, and then there's falling hopelessly in love with Brad Pitt, conducting a yearlong online romance, and sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to the down-on-his-luck actor for cancer treatment. As the BBC reports, a Frenchwoman...

This Fake 'Granny' Exists Solely to Foil Phone Scammers

British company O2 creates 'Daisy' chatbot to waste fraudsters' time on the phone

(Newser) - Daisy Harris sounds like a phone scammer's dream target. But as Daisy herself says , she is, in reality, their "worst nightmare." Daisy, as it turns out, isn't real, explains CNN . She's a figment of artificial intelligence created by the British mobile phone company O2. The...

We Still Write a Lot of Checks, and Fraudsters Love It
One Type of Bank Fraud
Is Surging
Nov 23, 2024 5:10 PM CST

One Type of Bank Fraud Is Surging

Check fraud is up 400%, and the Wall Street Journal explores why

(Newser) - Paper checks might eventually disappear altogether, but the Wall Street Journal reports that fraudsters are busy capitalizing on them in the meantime. Its exploration of the issue is illustrated in two stats:
  • Americans write an average of 30 checks per year, by far the most of any nation. No. 2
...

5 Arrested After Fake Brad Pitt Scams Fans
They Thought They Were
Talking to Brad Pitt, Lost $365K
in case you missed it
Sep 28, 2024 6:00 AM CDT

They Thought They Were Talking to Brad Pitt, Lost $365K

Police in Spain say 5 arrested in fraud scheme that bilked 2 women

(Newser) - Two Brad Pitt fans experienced the ultimate disappointment—and wallet buster—when it turns out the person online they thought was one of their favorite actors was actually a group of people scamming them, according to police in Spain. The Times of India reports on the arrest of five individuals...

Scam or Side Hustle? Gaming the Citi Bike Reward System

New York Times explores the lucrative gig some see as unethical

(Newser) - A few savvy New Yorkers have figured out how to game a Citi Bike program that rewards members who help move bikes to locations with low inventory—to the tune of thousands of dollars every month. While the side hustle requires a lot of time, coordination, and exercise to earn...

Silicon Valley Exec Scammed Out of $400K

Rana Robillard thought she was sending a down payment, was actually having her money stolen

(Newser) - A Silicon Valley executive who was on the brink of buying a house instead ended up scammed out of nearly $400,000. Rana Robillard told her story to NBC News as a warning to other homebuyers about how sophisticated cybercrime has become. An email in late January, apparently from her...

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