scam

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E-Vigilantes Punk Scammers, Just for the Fun of It

Baiters delight in wasting crooks' time

(Newser) - Bait scammers are turning predators into prey, Ars Technica reports. “419 scammers” are crooks who demand upfront payment in return for money or services they never provide, but vigilantes are turning the tables by sending them on wild safaris or furtively coaching them into foolish practices—some spending as...

NY Attorney Beat, Suffocated Family Over Hours

Gig was about to be up on Parente investor scam, investigators believe

(Newser) - A New York attorney beat and suffocated his wife and two daughters in a horrific attack that took hours, police told the New York Daily News. He then fatally slashed himself in a Baltimore hotel room where the four bodies were found. Investigators believe William Parente, 59, was ripping off...

Oprah's Not Giving You $1M, FBI Warns Marks

Bogus email asks for cash payment to attend Oprah 'giveaway'

(Newser) - The FBI has warned that Oprah Winfrey isn't really giving anybody $1 million, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Scamsters have been sending people emails about a supposed "Oprah Winfrey Millionaire Contest Show." Recipients are told they have been nominated to attend a special show where the host will hand...

Madoff Victims Trustee Eyes Brother's Bucks

New focus on Peter as trustee seeks to compensate swindle victims

(Newser) - A federal court official may seek to claw back any funds transferred by Bernard Madoff's swindle company to his brother, reports the New York Post. The new focus on Madoff's sibling, an officer in his firm, was revealed in a letter to an attorney representing a New York law student....

Email Scam May Be Behind Murders at NFL Player's House

Vilma not suspected in deaths at NY condo

(Newser) - Investigators suspect two African immigrants slain at a Long Island condo owned by an NFL player may have been killed as revenge for an Internet scam, police said today. Sekou Sakor and Ansu Keita were each shot in the head sometime Thursday night at a condominium in Woodbury, NY, owned...

Scammed Law Student Wins Freeze of Madoff Bro Funds

Peter Madoff had 'full knowledge' of scam, lawsuit charges

(Newser) - A Brooklyn law student who lost a $500,000 inheritance in the Bernard Madoff scam has won a court order freezing the assets of the swindler's brother, reports Reuters. Peter Madoff was in charge the student's trust, which he invested in Madoff's s scheme. Peter Madoff was an executive officer...

Scammers Set Sights on Desperate Homeowners

Calif. AG: Be 'deeply skeptical' of offers to help refinance

(Newser) - A record 5.4 million homeowners across the country are behind on their mortgages, and scam artists are looking to cash in, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Ads offering help lowering mortgage payments are everywhere. But these "loan negotiators" usually provide services that homeowners can handle on their own,...

Feds Now Scrambling to Freeze Ruth Madoff's Millions

(Newser) - Federal investigators are scrambling "around the clock" to freeze Ruth Madoff's $93 million in assets before it disappears, sources told the New York Post. "The US attorneys will tell a judge in the next week or so that they believe Mrs. Madoff's assets are derived from ill-gotten gains...

Madoff Aide Generated Fake Papers for Scam: Workers

Feds continue to hunt for cohorts

(Newser) - A longtime Bernie Madoff aide generated fake trading tickets for the accused swindler to use to document trades that never took place, workers have told federal authorities. The employees were instructed to research stock trade prices, then create bogus tickets showing purported trades and fake profits in line with made-up...

Madoff May Plead Guilty
 Madoff May Plead Guilty 
updated
Mar 6, 2009 11:03 AM CST

Madoff May Plead Guilty

Lawyers indicate that a plea deal is pending

(Newser) - Prosecutors filed court papers today indicating Bernard Madoff may be ready to plead guilty to charges arising from one of the biggest financial frauds in history. Madoff, 70, is scheduled for court twice next week, including a Tuesday appearance to waive any potential conflicts of interest involving his lawyer and...

Mum Execs Suspected Madoff in 2005

(Newser) - A number of Wall Street executives were convinced Bernard Madoff's investment scheme was a scam as early as four years ago, but never reported their suspicions to anyone but friends and family, according to SEC documents. Concerns by executives from Citigroup and Goldman Sachs are revealed in an extensive dossier...

Facebook 'Friend' Emergency Latest Online Scam

Cybercriminals hijack Facebook accounts to pose as friends in crisis

(Newser) - Fraudsters posing as friends who need emergency cash are scamming Facebook users out of thousands of dollars, CNN reports. Criminals filch Facebook identities, then bombard their friends with desperate-sounding messages pleading for money. The scammers often claim to have been robbed in a foreign country and beg the friend to...

Scamsters Cash In on Foreclosure Crisis

Phony rescuers collect big upfront fees from desperate homeowners

(Newser) - A new breed of crook is getting rich preying on homeowners desperate to fend off foreclosure, the New York Times reports. Scamsters set themselves up as "foreclosure rescue companies,” collect big upfront fees for the promise to modify loans, then do little or nothing to help. Some people...

Madoff Now Under 24-Hour House Arrest

Risk of 'harm or flight' lands guards outside accused's NYC pad

(Newser) - A New York judge placed accused fraudster Bernard Madoff under 24-hour arrest today, Bloomberg reports; a private security firm will also keep watch on his Upper East Side apartment after federal officials said there was a risk of “harm or flight.”  Madoff’s attorney would not say...

Nigerian Scamsters Want to Be Your Friend

Con artists try to fool Facebook users by posing as friends in need

(Newser) - Nigeria's notorious cybercriminals are looking for some buddies, Ars Technica reports. The conmen have infiltrated social networking sites like Facebook by filching passwords and contacting users in the guise of a friend who suddenly, urgently needs funds. Internet security experts fear the new tactic could prove a lot more effective...

Hackers Spread Coupon Scam
 Hackers Spread Coupon Scam 
Aug 27, 2008 5:40 PM CDT

Hackers Spread Coupon Scam

Online fakes could cost millions, and take years, to clean up

(Newser) - An online coupon scam could cost manufacturers millions, and years, to clean up, the Seattle Times reports. A California company says coupons it created as part of a marketing pitch were hacked and distributed across the internet. The firm responded by canceling all coupons related to the scheme, embarrassing even...

CEO Arrested in Plan to Use Homeless in Medicare Scam

Scheme recruited LA's skid row denizens to bilk feds for unnecessary service fees

(Newser) - The CEO of a Los Angeles hospital was arrested today for defrauding Medicare by using the city’s homeless to fill empty beds, the AP reports. The FBI says Rudra Sabaratnam, of City of Angels hospital, recruited the homeless in a scheme to charge for unnecessary health services and keep...

Tips to Avoid Online Scams
 Tips to Avoid Online Scams 
GLOSSIES
Jul 17, 2008 1:29 PM CDT

Tips to Avoid Online Scams

Guidelines for safe e-shopping are necessary even on eBay

(Newser) - If it looks too good to be true, it might be. Counterfeit goods are no stranger to sites as mainstream as eBay, so you'll want to take a few precautions to avoid forking it over for a fake. Forbes outlines tips for a safe and reliable e-shopping spree.
  • Know what
...

Feds Warn of Scam on 'Free' Digital Converter Box

Better Business Bureau warns consumers on Miracle ClearView offer for analog TVs

(Newser) - Consumers beware: “Free” digital converter boxes for analog TVs, advertised in newspapers across the country, could run you $100—some $80 more than just buying a box using a government coupon. The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about the ad from Universal TechTronics, designed to look like...

Yahoo Suit Targets Lottery Scammers
Yahoo Suit Targets
Lottery Scammers
May 27, 2008 8:50 PM CDT

Yahoo Suit Targets Lottery Scammers

Company alleges fraudulent trademark use in case; success hardly certain

(Newser) - Yahoo is suing a group of unidentified spammers who’ve sent emails claiming to be from the "Yahoo International Lottery Organization," soliciting personal information and sometimes money from purported lottery winners. Yahoo is seeking damages for fraudulent use of its trademarks, but it might prove hard to identify...

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