Fraud
Telegram Mini Apps abused for crypto scams, Android malware delivery
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a large-scale fraud operation that uses Telegram’s Mini App feature to run crypto scams, impersonate well-known brands, and distribute Android malware. A new report by CTM360 says the platform, dubbed FEMITBOT, is based on a string found in API responses and uses Telegram bots and embedded Mini Apps to create convincing, […]
Police dismantles 9 crypto scam centers, arrests 276 suspects
A joint international operation involving U.S. and Chinese authorities arrested at least 276 suspects and shut down nine cryptocurrency investment fraud centers. The crackdown was led by Dubai Police under the UAE Ministry of Interior and targeted crime networks running so-called pig-butchering schemes (also known as romance baiting), a form of fraud in which scammers […]
European police dismantles €50 million crypto investment fraud ring
Austrian and Albanian authorities dismantled a criminal ring accused of running a large-scale cryptocurrency investment fraud operation that caused estimated losses of over €50 million ($58.5 million) to victims worldwide. The joint action, which started in June 2023 and was supported by Europol and Eurojust, led to the arrest of 10 suspects and searches of […]
FTC: Americans lost over $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned of a massive increase in losses from social media scams since 2020, exceeding $2.1 billion in 2025. According to reports to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, all age groups (except those 80 and over, who were mainly targeted via phone calls) lost more money to scams originating on […]
Traffic violation scams switch to QR codes in new phishing texts
Scammers are sending fake “Notice of Default” traffic violation text messages impersonating state courts across the U.S., pressuring recipients to scan a QR code that leads to a phishing site demanding a $6.99 payment while stealing personal and financial information. This is a new variation of the widely sent toll violation and unpaid parking ticket scams that […]
Musician admits to $10M streaming royalty fraud using AI bots
North Carolina musician Michael Smith has pleaded guilty to collecting over $10 million in royalty payments through a massive streaming royalty fraud scheme on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. 54-year-old Smith bought hundreds of thousands of songs generated using artificial intelligence (AI) from an accomplice, uploaded them to these streaming platforms, and […]
EU court adviser says banks must immediately refund phishing victims
Athanasios Rantos, the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), has issued a formal opinion suggesting that banks must immediately refund account holders affected by unauthorized transactions, even when it’s their fault. The opinion was issued in response to a request for a preliminary ruling submitted by the District Court in Koszalin, Poland, […]
Ghanain man pleads guilty to role in $100 million fraud ring
A Ghanaian national pleaded guilty to his role in a massive fraud ring that stole over $100 million from victims across the United States through business email compromise attacks and romance scams. 40-year-old Derrick Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Thursday and agreed to pay more than $10 million in […]
Police dismantles online gambling ring exploiting Ukrainian women
Spanish and Ukrainian law enforcement authorities dismantled a criminal ring that exploited war-displaced Ukrainian women to run an online gambling scheme that laundered nearly €4.75 million in illicit proceeds. The criminal group was formed amid the war in Ukraine and deliberately targeted young women from areas that were under continuous attack. The criminal network’s recruitment […]
Phobos ransomware admin pleads guilty to wire fraud conspiracy
A Russian national pleaded guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge related to his role in administering the Phobos ransomware operation, which breached hundreds of victims worldwide. Phobos is a long-running ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation linked to the Crysis ransomware family. Phobos has been widely distributed through many affiliates, accounting for roughly 11% of all submissions to the ID […]