Houston men charged with stealing more than $1.2M in mail theft scheme, activating stolen credit cards
Five Houston men have been taken into federal custody after they were charged in a large-scale mail theft and credit card fraud scheme resulting in more than $1.2 million in losses, the United States Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Houston men plead guilty to fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in PPP loans in COVID-19 relief fraud conspiracy
Five Houston men have pleaded guilty to their participation in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and launder millions of dollars in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the United States Department of Justice announced Monday.
Couple featured on reality TV show hit with $10.8M judgment after promising to โblessโ people in illegal pyramid scheme
The Office of the Attorney General secured a $10.76 million final judgment and permanent injunction against a reality television couple from Frisco that ran an illegal pyramid scheme.
Tax preparer gets 12 years for illegally filing tax returns to purchase Bentley and Maserati; owes $1.9M to government
A Houston woman has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison following her convictions on seven counts of aiding and assisting in preparing false tax returns, the United States Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Houston conman who tricked members of his church out of more than $1M sentenced to 20 years for real estate scams
A Houston conman who made more than $1 million pretending to sell distressed properties for cash to dozens of people was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.
Alleged fraudster extradited from France to Houston to face charges in $7M international investment funding scam
The charges allege Uche Victor Diuno helped to orchestrate a scam involving false promises of investment funding by individuals who impersonated U.S. bank officials in person and over the internet to victims around the world.
Houston man pleads guilty to fraud after creating fake online profiles to dupe victims in โromance scamโ
A 39-year-old Houston man who holds citizenship in the United States and Ghana has pleaded guilty to operating an illegal money-transmitting business, the United States Department of Justice announced.
โWe are intensifying our effortsโ: DOJ, partners doing more to protect older adults from fraud, scams
The Department of Justice has announced the results of its efforts over the past year to protect older adults from fraud and exploitation. During the past year, the DOJ and its law enforcement partners tackled matters that ranged from mass-marketing scams that impacted thousands of victims to bad actors scamming their neighbors.
Do not fall for this! Scammers allegedly calling citizens claiming they missed jury duty, must wire money immediately to stay out of jail
The scammer allegedly tells the resident they missed their Federal Grand Jury date, resulting in a warrant for their arrest. He goes on to say they have two options to settle their warrant. The first option is to either serve 72 hours in jail or to pay and handle the warrant in civil court.
Nigerians accused of duping victims through multimillion dollar romance, lottery, construction scams extradited to US to stand trial
Three Nigerian citizens who are accused of using numerous ways to defraud victims, including through romance and lottery scams, have been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States to stand trial for their alleged crimes.
KPRC 2 Investigates: Donโt be fooled by imposter scams
Forty-seven percent of Americans experienced financial identity theft last year. Losses from identity theft cases cost more than $700 billion in 2021. The highest percentage of consumers who were victimized were between 35 and 44 years old. Imposter scams are one of the leading scams used to steal money. They often start with a simple call, email or message impersonating a person or company you know to trick you into giving them your money. The more you know about these imposters, the safer you and your money will be.
How to avoid being ripped off by so-called contractors, plumbers after historic winter storm
โIt was like a waterfall coming from the ceiling.โโWe still have no water in the house,โ Cruz added. She is afraid of being taken by a fly-by-night contractor or plumber. AdโWhenever there is any kind of disaster, unfortunately, we always see the scammers come out of the woodwork,โ Napoliello said. Napolielloโs job is to help consumers avoid being ripped off by shady contractors, plumbers and others, who are out to grab your money, and she has several rules you should follow to avoid them. โFirst of all, you should never hire someone on the spot, if they come to your front doorโ, Napoliello said.
What you need to know about new scam related to COVID-19 vaccine, according to the FBI
HOUSTON โ The FBI and other government agencies are warning people against a new scam that has emerged related to the coronavirus vaccine. FBI warns people about COVID-19 vaccine scam. Donโt share your personal or health information with anyone other than known and trusted medical professionals. Check your medical bills and insurance explanation of benefits (EOBs) for any suspicious claims and promptly reporting any errors to your health insurance provider. Never provide personal information of any sort via email; be aware that many emails requesting your personal information may appear to be legitimate.
Beware: Protect yourself from these COVID-19 cons
Make sure youโre not the next victim of one of these COVID cons. But at the end, thereโs no money, and the scammers have had plenty of time to phish for your information. Also, beware of fake COVID contact tracers. Real contact tracers will call by phone, not connect by email. Always be cautious of anything you put on your phone and never give your info to someone youโre not 100% comfortable with.
Donโt get scammed: Potential dangers you should watch for while doing your holiday shopping online
HOUSTON โ If youโre anxiously waiting for holiday packages to arrive, now is the time to be alert and watch out for delivery schemes. Bloomer said cybercriminals are using the emails as a way to trick holiday shoppers into giving up their personal information. โThey will try to ask you to put in payment information and take money directly from you,โ he said. Bloomer said Check Point researchers saw a more than 400% increase in delivery schemes in November compared to the previous month. Tips to prevent getting scammedTo help users stay protected against phishing scams, Check Point is issuing these 6 tips:
โDo Not Callโ registry and 4 apps to stop spoofing calls
Weโve listed four apps to help make the calls stop, and steps to get your number listed on the National Do Not Call Registry with the Federal Communications Commission. Alex Quilici, who works with YouMail, an anti-spoofing app, explains how spoofing calls work. But if youโre using a voice or office phone or call center, you can fill in whatever phone number you want. So the bad guys just pick a phone number and use it,โ explains Quilici. You can upload some audio, you can put in a phone number that people โpress 1โ to and basically go.
How to protect yourself against potential hurricane-related scams
The FBIs Houston Division issued a warning and some tips on how people can protect themselves from fraud. According to the warning, scammers may go door to door to target residents in areas affected by hurricanes, so be vigilant. Do not click on any links or open attachments in an unsolicited email or give any personal information out online. If you believe you have been the victim of hurricane-related fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at 866-720-5721 or file a complaint online. You can also report suspicious e-mail solicitations or fraudulent websites to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center here.
Here are COVID-19 scams you should avoid, according to Texas officials
HOUSTON Texas officials are warning residents to be aware of COVID-19 scams that try to trick you out of your money or personal information. Never provide your personal information (address, date of birth, banking information, ID numbers) to people you do not know. Remember, government agencies will never ask you for personal information or money. In addition to the economic payment scams previously reported, several other fraudulent schemes involve masks, personal protection equipment and other COVID-19 related items, according to a press release. This virus is bad enough without having to deal with crooks who will use it to obtain your money or personal information, Ryan said.
Warning for Texans: Fraudsters are selling counterfeit, mislabeled or non-existent PPE
As the demand for personal protection equipment (PPE) grows, some suppliers are taking advantage of the national crisis. The Office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is warning the public of scammers advertising masks and other COVID-19 related equipment they do not actually have an inventory of in an attempt to make a quick profit. According to the office, these products may be counterfeit and mislabeled, or non-existent. As fraudulent schemes continue, consumers urged to exercise increased caution when dealing with new suppliers, especially when using a third-party broker, the Office of Texas Attorney General says. Red flags that a sale may be fraudulent include:Unusual payment termsLast-minute price changesLast-minute excuses for delay in shipmentUnexplained source of a large quantity of materialEvidence of re-packaging or mislabelingTexans who believe they have encountered scams or price gouging should call the Office of the Attorney Generalโs toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508 or file a complaint online.