Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – Two men, both from Washington, D.C., have been indicted on federal charges alleging that they conspired for nearly two years to deal firearms — including “ghost guns” — to people in the District of Columbia who were prohibited or otherwise unable to legally obtain them.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A former Insys Therapeutics sales representative, whose trial had commenced, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Ohio to conspiracy to defraud the United States for her involvement in a scheme to pay kickbacks to a doctor to induce him to prescribe Subsys, a dangerous sublingual fentanyl spray.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense against crypto romance scams.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center is seeing a rapid rise in the number of people who are falling victim to a new-style romance fraud. In just the first seven months of this year, more than 1,800 people have reported online romance scams resulting in losses of about $133 million.
Romance frauds have been around for a long time, and they usually start in the same way. The scammer’s initial contact is typically made via dating apps or other social media sites. The scammer gains the confidence and trust of the victim—convincing the victim that their virtual love match is the real deal.
The new twist comes when the bad actor claims to be an expert cryptocurrency investor. He offers to help the victim make big money, too. Once the victim invests, the scammer allows the victim to withdraw a small amount of profit from the alleged account.
After the successful withdrawal, the scammer instructs the victim to invest larger amounts of money, and he often pushes the victim to “act fast.” When the victim is ready to withdraw funds again, the scammer creates reasons why this can’t happen. He tells the victim that there are additional taxes or fees that need to be paid, or the minimum account balance has not been met. This entices the victim to provide additional funds. Sometimes, a “customer service group” gets involved, which is also part of the scam.
The harassment—and the “relationship”—usually end once the victim stops sending funds.
Here’s how to protect yourself:
If you are the victim of any online fraud, you should report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.
Source: United States Navy
The Navy has increased tuition assistance benefits, allowing qualified Sailors to now use up to 18 semester credit hours annually, up from the previously allowed 12. Along with this expanded credit cap comes a list of new eligibility requirements that tighten up who can use Navy Tuition Assistance (TA) and when.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
An indictment was unsealed today in New York, New York, that charges offshore financial service executives and a Swiss financial services company with conspiracy to defraud the IRS by helping three large-value U.S. taxpayer-clients conceal more than $60 million in income and assets held in undeclared, offshore bank accounts and to evade U.S. income taxes.