Category: FBI

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

In January 2020, a Pennsylvania police department investigated a missing person report. A young woman had disappeared in late summer 2019, and she had not contacted family or friends. The case had gone cold, and investigators were short on leads.  
  
The big break in the case came when an intelligence analyst in an FBI field office in Pennsylvania and a Delaware task force officer contacted the police department. The analyst and task force officer shared information they had received from a confidential source—the name of an associate, the first name of a potential suspect, and information about the possible disposal of a body.

The FBI analyst searched the N-DEx System using the names and found a police report involving the suspect. These two seemingly unconnected pieces of information were brought together using N-DEx, a powerful tool for criminal justice agencies. The database allows law enforcement personnel to search, link, analyze, and share federal, state, local, and tribal records to help fill gaps in the information in a case. That’s exactly what happened in this case.
  
Using the N-DEx System, investigators identified the suspect, found her location, and discovered a probation violation. Upon entering the suspect’s home, investigators noticed the odor of decomposition. During their search, investigators located the missing woman’s body in a plastic storage bin in the suspect’s basement. They charged the suspect with first-degree murder and drug delivery resulting in death.  

Learn more about N-DEx.

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

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

The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and the Denver Police Department need your help identifying an individual who robbed the Wells Fargo Bank located at 5353 West Dartmouth Avenue in Denver, Colorado, at approximately 3:39 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The suspect displayed a demand note and fled on foot.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian male with brown hair in his early 20s, approximately 6’0” with a slim build. He was wearing faded blue jeans, a gray long-sleeve shirt, a gray ball cap, black shoes, and a black face mask.

Please be on the lookout for anyone matching the above description. Be aware of anyone similar who might have recently changed their spending habits or discussed coming into money suddenly.

Bank robbery is punishable up to a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the commission of the crime. The FBI continues to provide financial institutions with the best practices for security to make them less vulnerable to robberies.

If anyone has any information on the bank robbery above, or any bank robbery, please call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171; or, you may remain anonymous by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week: we continue our series on building a digital defense against frauds targeting senior citizens.

Seniors are a prime target because they tend to be financially stable, to be trusting, and to be reluctant to say “no.” We find this particularly true when it comes to real estate fraud schemes. Reverse mortgage frauds, also known as home equity conversion mortgages, are one of the most popular real estate scams we see.

A legitimate home equity conversion mortgage is insured by the Federal Housing Authority or FHA. It allows eligible homeowners to access the equity in their homes by providing funds without the homeowner having to make a monthly payment. When a fraudster finds a senior who is not familiar with the requirements or the process, the results can be devastating. In some cases, the fraudster will pressure the senior into taking inappropriate reverse mortgages. They may also pressure the victim to use some of that money to buy an expensive annuity… an annuity that may not even mature for many years.

Another kind of real estate scam involves using seniors as straw buyers. The criminal says he wants to buy a house, but—for whatever reason—says he can’t get approved for the purchase. The senior agrees to sign the papers for him as a favor, or maybe the fraudster offers him a few thousand dollars bonus. The criminal could be a real estate agent, lender, appraiser, investor, or new friend. In the end, the bad guy often ends up skimming the equity and leaving the victim holding a hefty 30-year mortgage with potential criminal liability. In other related real estate scams, the criminals may offer the victims free homes, investment opportunities, or foreclosure and refinance assistance. The result is often the same—you lose that cherished nest egg and your credit history is in ruins.

Here’s how you can protect yourself and your family members:

• Don’t respond to unsolicited ads.
• Be suspicious of anyone saying you can own a home with no down payment—or flip a house by signing for a mortgage you don’t want.
• Don’t sign anything that you do not fully understand.
• Don’t accept payment for helping someone else to buy a house that you do not intend to live in.
• If you want to pursue a reverse mortgage lender, seek out one who is approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of those responsible for setting a fire on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation on June 21, 2021. Warm Springs emergency crews responded to the fire at 8:41 p.m.

The fire burned approximately 42 acres of brush and grass on the Fish Hatchery Grade between mile posts 13 and 14 on Highway 3. Investigators believe the fire was human caused. As part of this publicity effort, the FBI has created a “Seeking Information” poster for the “Most Wanted” section of the FBI’s website. That poster can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/human-caused-brush-fire/download.pdf.

Facebook and Instagram ads will also be running in the Jefferson and Wasco County areas of Oregon. The FBI and the Warm Springs Police Department (WSPD) are asking that anyone with information about this fire to contact law enforcement. The FBI can be reached in Bend at (541) 389-1202 or in Portland at (503) 224-4181. WSPD can be reached at (541) 553-2202. Information may also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.