Fraud
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 […]
Florida woman imprisoned for massive Microsoft license fraud scheme
A Florida woman was sentenced to 22 months in prison for running a massive years-long scheme to traffic thousands of stolen Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels. 52-year-old Heidi Richards (also known as Heidi Hastings, Heidi Shaffer, and Heidi Williams), who operated an e-commerce business called Trinity Software Distribution, was also ordered to pay a […]
Police arrests 651 suspects in African cybercrime crackdown
African law enforcement agencies arrested 651 suspects and recovered over $4.3 million in a joint operation targeting investment fraud, mobile money scams, and fake loan applications. As INTERPOL revealed on Wednesday, Operation Red Card 2.0 identified 1,247 victims between December 8 and January 30 while targeting cybercrime operations linked to over $45 million in financial […]
Fugitive behind $73M ‘pig butchering’ scheme gets 20 years in prison
A dual Chinese and St. Kitts and Nevis national was sentenced to 20 years in prison in absentia for his role in an international cryptocurrency investment scheme (also known as pig butchering or romance baiting) that defrauded victims of more than $73 million. In pig butchering scams, criminals use messaging apps, dating platforms, and social media accounts […]
Men charged in FanDuel scheme fueled by thousands of stolen identities
Two Connecticut men face federal charges for allegedly defrauding FanDuel and other online gambling sites of $3 million over several years using the stolen identities of approximately 3,000 victims. 29-year-olds Amitoj Kapoor and Siddharth Lillaney, both of Glastonbury, Connecticut, were arrested Thursday following a 45-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury and were each […]