Month: June 2021

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

PHOENIX, AZ—As young people spend more and more time online doing homework, gaming, and connecting to peers, it is critical that we teach them how to protect both their personal information and their well-being.

With participation growing and a Spanish version now available, the FBI’s Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge is reopening for the new school year, offering a game-driven curriculum that teaches students about online risks.

The SOS program covers topics such as cyberbullying, protecting personal information, recognizing trustworthy and untrustworthy sites, and avoiding malware through age-appropriate activities. As part of the SOS program, students visit the island that aligns with their grade level and surf through activities that teach how to recognize hazards and respond appropriately. This year, for the first time, the entire curriculum is also available in Spanish.

This year, the top five online scams reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for Arizona victims under the age of 20 are:

• Non-payment/Non-Delivery
• Use of Social Media as a means for fraud
• Extortion
• Personal Data Breach
• Harassment/Threats of Violence

(Click here to see the IC3.Gov report and the full definitions of each scam)

The FBI-SOS Internet Challenge had a record level of participation during the 2017-2018 school year, with 906,104 students from schools in all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands completing the program.

In Arizona last year, 6,669 students participated from 53 schools.

SOS activities are available to everyone, but teachers must register their classes to participate in the tests and competition.

Each month during the school year, the classes with the top exam scores nationwide receive an FBI-SOS certificate and may be congratulated in person by local FBI personnel.

Visit sos.fbi.gov to explore the Safe Online Surfing Internet Challenge activities and to register.

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

PHOENIX, AZ—In 2017, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center—or IC3.gov—received about 11,000 complaints from people who claimed to have lost $15 million in tech support scams. That’s an 86% increase in losses from 2016.

So far this year, Arizona residents have lost close to $1.3 million to tech fraud scams, an increase that already surpasses last year’s total losses by 263%. This type of fraud continues to be a problematic and widespread scam.

To help consumers fight back, IC3.gov recently issued a warning about the evolving ways that tech support scam artists are operating. Here’s what you need to know:

Tech Support Fraud involves a criminal claiming to provide customer, security, or technical support in an effort to defraud unwitting individuals. Tech support fraud scams can start in any number of ways; an unsolicited phone call claiming the victim’s device is infected with a virus or is sending an error message to the caller, or pop-ups claiming a virus was found on their computer or with a phone number to contact a fraudulent tech support company.

Criminals offer to resolve the issues and will typically request remote access to your device. Once they have access to your device, they download malware onto your computer, launch phishing attacks against your contacts, and access your personal information—including tax returns, health records, and more to further perpetuate the fraud.

To top it off, you’ve likely paid them for their alleged help before you figure out the true cost of this tech support fraud.

The “fake refund” variation of tech support fraud is increasing in reports and losses. In this scheme, the criminal contacts the victim offering a refund for tech support services previously rendered. The criminal pretends to refund too much money to the victim’s account and requests the victim return the difference. The “refund and return” process can occur multiple times, resulting in the victim potentially losing thousands of dollars.

So how do you protect yourself?

• Remember that legitimate customer, security, or tech support companies will not initiate unsolicited contact with individuals.
• Install ad-blocking software that eliminates or reduces pop-ups and malvertising, which is online advertising designed to spread malware.
• Be cautious of customer support numbers found via online searches. Phone numbers listed in a “sponsored” results section are likely boosted to the top because a business (or fraudster) paid for that service.
• Resist the pressure to act quickly. The criminals like to create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure the victim into immediate action before you have time to think.
• Do not give unknown, unverified people remote access to devices or accounts.
• Ensure all computer anti-virus, security, and malware protection is up to date.
• If you do receive a pop-up warning that looks like tech support fraud—shut down, wait a few minutes and try to restart your computer. Often, the pop-up will go away.
• If a company is asking you to make transactions using gift cards that should be a red flag.

If you have been victimized by this scam, you can file an online report at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your local FBI office.

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

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

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

On April 21, 2021, Frederick Stahmer, 54, was federally indicted on four counts of wire fraud. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation.

According to the indictment, the defendant obtained thousands of dollars from multiple investors in his business, Frederick Entertainment Inc. Frederick Entertainment Inc. was a concert and music promotion company in Oro Valley, Arizona, that sought to finance, produce, market, and promote music venues located around the United States. Stahmer lost his investors over $1 million in funds due to this scheme.

Indictments are only accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for Arizona at http://www.azd.uscourts.gov/ or on PACER https://www.pacer.gov/ , magistrate number: 4:21-cr-00793

The FBI would like to thank the Oro Valley Police Department and United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, for their work on this case.