Month: April 2021

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

Press release available in both English and Spanish.

SAN JUAN, PR—Special Agent in Charge Rafael A. Riviere Vázquez, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) San Juan Field Office, announced the arrest of Alvin González Rivera (González Rivera).

González Rivera was charged under a complaint with violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252 and 2252A (Possession of Child Pornography) for events which took place in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

The subject was arrested by special agents of the FBI San Juan Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force on March 31, 2021.

This case is being investigated by the FBI San Juan Field Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Puerto Rico, Nicholas Cannon and Michele Colón, from the Violent Crimes Section. The FBI would like to thank the HSI Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force for their continued support to the FBI mission, and their assistance on this case.

Tips and information assist the FBI and its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. Citizens with information are asked to contact the FBI San Juan Field Office at 787-987-6500, or to submit tips through the FBI’s Internet complaint portal at Tips.FBI.Gov Tipsters can remain anonymous.

The public is reminded a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty by a court of law. The U.S. government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Arresto De Alvin González Rivera

SAN JUAN, PR—El Agente Especial a Cargo de la Oficina de San Juan del Negociado Federal de Investigación (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés), Rafael A. Riviere Vázquez, anunció el arresto de Alvin González Rivera (González Rivera).

González Rivera fue acusado mediante querella por violaciones al Título 18, Código de los Estados Unidos, United States Code, Secciones 2252 y 2252A (Posesión de Pornografía Infantil) por eventos que ocurrieron en San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

El sujeto fue arrestado por Agentes Especiales del Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (Fuerzas Conjuntas Contra la Explotación Infantil y la Trata Humana) de la Oficina de San Juan del FBI. El arresto se llevó a cabo el 31 de marzo de 2021.

El enjuiciamiento de este caso está a cargo de los Fiscales Federales Nicholas Cannon y Michele Colón de la Sección de Crímenes Violentos y es investigado por la Oficina de San Juan del FBI. El FBI desea agradecer a los compañeros de HSI Puerto Rico y su Crimes Against Children Task Force por su continuo apoyo a la misión del FBI y su asistencia en este caso.

Las confidencias e información ayudan al FBI y a sus colegas federales, estatales y locales en el desempeño de sus funciones. Por ello, se le solicita al público que contacte a la Oficina de San Juan del FBI al 787-987-6500, o reporte confidencias a través de la línea de pistas (tips) del FBI, disponible en la página de Internet Tips.FBI.Gov.

Los querellantes podrán permanecer anónimos.

Se le recuerda al público que una Querella sólo contiene cargos y no es evidencia de culpabilidad. Todo acusado se presume inocente hasta que se pruebe lo contrario más allá de toda duda razonable. El Gobierno de los Estados Unidos tiene el peso de la prueba.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The Cleveland Division of the FBI is issuing a warning not to fall victim to scams demanding money. Various scams are occurring in our community and the FBI is advising the public these are not legitimate. It is difficult for law enforcement to determine the original source of these scams as most originate overseas. Therefore, the best intervention is prevention, don’t be a victim.

Recently the Cleveland Division of the FBI has received calls from victims reporting the following occurrences:

• One elderly female wire transferred an approximate total of $173,000 over three-months in a lottery scam. The elderly female was promised a prize of $2.5 million and an added bonus of a 2019 Mercedes.
• Another individual, a physician, received a call stating that the Department of Justice was suspending his medical license as numerous prescriptions were discovered with his name on them as the prescribing physician. The physician was sent faxes with Department of Justice logos entitled, “Federal Bond and Protocol Agreement” and that his bank accounts were comprised by drug traffickers. The physician complied with the demands to pay the fine and provided a total of approximately $188,000.
• Scammers have represented themselves as FBI employees trying to help. In one instance, a lady received a pop up on her computer and was advised to call a tech support phone number. The lady called and was advised she was speaking to an FBI “cyber encryption” specialist and she needed to secure her money in cyber vaults. The victim tried to wire money to the scammers, her bank was suspicious and rejected the wire transfer request. She then tried to send the money via UPS, the store returned the package to her. The bank and UPS store both notified police.
• In the last few days scammers have been convincing their “potential victims” that their bank accounts have been compromised, therefore, they should liquidate their bank accounts and send all of their funds to a new financial account for safe keeping.
• One individual, an FBI employee, received a voice-mail from the Social Security Administration indicating the individual would be arrested if they did not return the phone call and pay the fine.

No matter the story behind the scam, individuals need to be cautious with phone, computer, and mail solicitations demanding money. If the individual receives a “cold” call/ pop up demanding money for fines, for safe keeping, threats of arrest, etc. individuals should not respond hastily. Most scammers express an urgency to resolve the matter and demand money be sent right away. Some individuals have provided money via wire transfer, while others have placed cash in the U.S. mail.

Individuals need to understand government agencies WILL NOT telephone an individual demanding money be wired or cash placed in the mail to pay fines.

Lottery winnings do not involve paying money first in order to collect your prize.

Individuals receiving these types of solicitations demanding money should discuss the occurrence with a trusted family member or friend, look the agency up online, obtain an actual phone number for the agency, call the agency and report the call/pop up received. Report any suspicious solicitations online at www.ic3.gov.

It is imperative that we raise awareness to these types of scams to our family members, friends, elderly neighbors, and community members. The best approach is avoidance of becoming a victim. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for law enforcement to retrieve the funds once they have been sent. Do not be a victim in the first place.

Any questions regarding this press release should be directed to SA Vicki Anderson at vagregg@fbi.gov or 216-522-1400.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its annual report, with New Mexico victims of suspected cyber scams reporting losses of $23,903,594 in 2020.

Business email compromises were responsible for the biggest share of losses, almost $10 million.

Romance and confidence schemes caused significantly higher losses last year than in 2019, likely because more people were online.

“While many New Mexicans struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, cyber criminals didn’t miss a beat,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott A. Rago of the Albuquerque FBI Division. “The increased number of people teleworking or going online to stay in touch provided more opportunities for computer scams. It is imperative the public immediately report suspected criminal Internet activity to the IC3 at ic3.gov so we can put a dent in these kinds of crimes.”

New Mexico highlights:

Business email compromises

• 2020 Losses: $9,947,912
• 2020 Victims: 81
• 2019 Losses: $12,508,677
• 2019 Victims: 106

Confidence fraud/romance

• 2020 Losses: $5,358,676
• 2020 Victims: 189
• 2019 Losses: $1,648,758
• 2019 Victims: 114

Investment scams

• 2020 Losses: $2,038,960
• 2020 Victims: 27
• 2019 Losses: $184,456
• 2019 Victims: 8

Advanced fee

• 2020 Losses: $1,615,091
• 2020 Victims: 67
• 2019 Losses: $1,092,526
• 2019 Victims: 89

Extortion

• 2020 Losses: $199,993
• 2020 Victims: 651
• 2019 Losses: $210,627
• 2019 Victims: 320

All frauds

• 2020 Losses: $23,903,594
• 2020 Victims: 3,427
• 2019 Losses: $17,983,833
• 2019 Victims: 2,037

Over 60 years old

• 2020 Losses: $7,127,910
• 2020 Victims: 837
• 2019 Losses: $13,509,629
• 2019 Victims: 493

The 2020 Internet Crime Report includes nationwide information from 791,790 complaints of suspected Internet crime—an increase of more than 300,000 complaints from 2019—and reported losses exceeding $4.2 billion.

Notably, 2020 saw the emergence of scams exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic. The IC3 received over 28,500 complaints nationwide related to COVID-19, with fraudsters targeting both businesses and individuals.

In addition to statistics, the IC3’s 2020 Internet Crime Report contains information about the most prevalent Internet scams affecting the public and offers guidance for prevention and protection. It also highlights the FBI’s work combating Internet crime, including recent case examples.

Finally, the 2020 Internet Crime Report explains the IC3, its mission, and functions.

The IC3 gives the public a reliable and convenient mechanism to report suspected Internet crime to the FBI. The FBI analyzes and shares information from submitted complaints for investigative and intelligence purposes, for law enforcement, and for public awareness.

By reporting Internet crime to ic3.gov, victims are not only alerting law enforcement to the activity, but aiding in the overall fight against cyber crime.

IC3 encourages the public to protect themselves from scammers by:

• Using extreme caution in online communication. Verify the sender of an e-mail, and be wary of attachments or links.
• Practice good “cyber hygiene,” such as installing anti-virus software and keeping it updated.
• Question anyone offering you something that is “too good to be true,” a secret investment opportunity, or medical advice.
• Rely on trusted sources, like your own doctor, the Centers for Disease Control, and your local health department for medical information, and the Federal Trade Commission and Internal Revenue Service for financial and tax information.

The following reports are available online:

IC3 2020: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020_IC3Report.pdf

2020 state reports: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020State/StateReport.aspx

2019 state reports: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2019State/StateReport.aspx

Definitions:

Advanced Fee: An individual pays money to someone in anticipation of receiving something of greater value in return, but instead, receives significantly less than expected or nothing.

Business Email Compromise/Email Account Compromise: BEC is a scam targeting businesses (not individuals) working with foreign suppliers and/or businesses regularly performing wire transfer payments. EAC is a similar scam which targets individuals. These sophisticated scams are carried out by fraudsters compromising email accounts through social engineering or computer intrusion techniques to conduct unauthorized transfer of funds.

Confidence/Romance Fraud: An individual believes they are in a relationship (family, friendly, or romantic) and are tricked into sending money, personal and financial information, or items of value to the perpetrator or to launder money or items to assist the perpetrator. This includes the grandparent’s scam and any scheme in which the perpetrator preys on the complainant’s “heartstrings”.

Extortion: Unlawful extraction of money or property through intimidation or undue exercise of authority. It may include threats of physical harm, criminal prosecution, or public exposure.

Investment: Deceptive practice that induces investors to make purchases on the basis of false information. These scams usually offer the victims large returns with minimal risk. (Retirement, 401K, Ponzi, Pyramid, etc.)

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the death of David Russell, Jr.

On January 5, 2020, Russell was found deceased in his residence south of the Chapter House in Nenahnezad, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.

The cause of death was blunt force trauma to his head.

Russell was 53 years old.

The FBI and Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 505-889-1300 or go online at tips.fbi.gov.

An FBI poster with a photo of Russell can be found at: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/david-russell-jr.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the death of Isiah Terrell Billy.

On October 5, 2020, Billy was found deceased in a wash east of the Sinclair gas station near mile marker 23 on U.S. Highway 64, in Shiprock, New Mexico.

The cause of death is pending but considered suspicious.

Billy, who was 30 at the time, lived in Shiprock, on the Navajo Nation.

The FBI and Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 505-889-1300 or go online at tips.fbi.gov.

An FBI poster with a photo of Billy can be found at: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/isiah-terrell-billy.