Category: FBI

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

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense against COVID funeral scams.

Recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) started providing up to $9,000 in reimbursement funds to applicants for each COVID-19 related funeral for which they were responsible. Let’s say you had a parent die, and the death certificate confirms COVID was the cause. You paid for the funeral and have receipts to prove it. You can apply to FEMA for reimbursement. If you were responsible for multiple funerals, you can apply for a total of up to $35,500.

There are some restrictions in terms of eligibility for the funds, and anyone who is interested in applying should check FEMA.gov for all eligibility requirements (https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance/faq). As with any disaster or relief program, scam artists will attempt to take advantage of those most in need. According to FEMA, one particular fraud that is already taking root involves bad actors who offer to help you apply for aid. Note: there is only one way to apply for FEMA’s funeral aid, and that is by calling FEMA directly at 844-684-6333.

There is no online application process and no legitimate way that others can apply on your behalf. Here’s how to protect yourself:

• Don’t respond to any third-party offer, email, text message, or social media post offering to help you get aid.
• Don’t respond to any solicitation that looks like it is from FEMA directly. FEMA will not contact you unless you make the initial call.
• Never give out personal information—including name, date of birth, Social Security number, or other sensitive information—for yourself or for your deceased relative unless you made the call to FEMA and you know you are speaking to a FEMA representative.

If you believe you are a victim of an online scam, you should report the incident to 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 News

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense against robo text and email scams.

Last week, we shared some information from the FCC about avoiding robocall scams. This week, we have some information from our partners at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about robo text and email scams. We are not talking about messages you get from a company or agency when you signed up to receive those—things like newsletters or coupons. Subscribe and unsubscribe to those as you wish. We are talking about unsolicited messages from unknown people or groups who are either trying to download malware onto your device or trying to get you to give up personal info.

You think you’re doing the right thing to stop the harassment by clicking “unsubscribe.” Don’t do it! By clicking “unsubscribe” links or texting “stop” in reply, the spammers literally take that to mean “subscribe” and “please, go on.” As these spammers blast out millions of texts or emails every day, they aren’t actually targeting you specifically—in fact, they might not know if your email or phone number is even valid. They are looking for signs of an active account. By hitting “unsubscribe” or replying in any way, you validate your contact information and risk inviting even more spam and scams.

There are various ways to mark messages as spam, depending on your type of device and service provider. You can also forward messages to the FTC directly. (More info on how to do that can be found here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-report-spam-text-messages) At the very least, if you get a suspicious email, mark it as spam and delete it without opening it. If you get a suspicious text, delete it without replying and block that number on your phone.

According to the FTC, here’s how to avoid those spam texts and emails in the first place:

• Avoid displaying your email address in public. Spammers scrape blog posts, chat rooms, social networking sites, and forums—so the less of you that’s out there, the better.
• Use two email addresses—one for personal messages and one for everything else. Ideally, this second public-facing email address should be one you are willing to delete one day if needed.
• Use a truly original address that’s unlikely to be created by spammers. Spammers send out millions of messages to probable name combinations hoping to find a valid address. That means common first name/last name email addresses are more likely to attract spam.

If you believe you are a victim of an online scam, you should report the incident to 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 News

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense against robocall scams.

If you have a phone, chances are you have received one or two or a hundred of those annoying automated robocalls. Sometimes they come in daily. The digital voice on the other end wants to talk to you about your expiring car warranty or a bill you allegedly haven’t paid. In many cases, the fraudster will “spoof” the incoming call number so it appears as though it is someone local calling you.

Today, we want to share some tips with you from our partners at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on how to protect yourself.

• Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.
• If you answer the phone and the caller—or a recording—asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.
• Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes.” The scammer is likely recording you and can use that verbal “yes” later to pretend you agreed to something you did not.
• Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden name, passwords, or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
• If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.
• If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voicemail if you do not set a password.
• Talk to your phone company about call blocking tools they may have and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls.
• To block telemarketing calls, register your number on the Do Not Call List (https://www.donotcall.gov) Legitimate telemarketers consult the list to avoid calling both landline and wireless phone numbers on the list.

If you believe are a victim of an online scam, you should report the incident to 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 News

The FBI is seeking information regarding a bank robbery that took place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 17, 2021, at approximately 2:00 p.m.

• BancFirst
• 809 Cornell Parkway
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The suspect was identified as one white male, approximately 5’5” tall, with a slender build, wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, a brown goatee, very short brown hair, and sunglasses.

The suspect left the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. There is a vehicle of interest: newer model Honda Ridgeline Pickup truck.

If anyone has any information on the bank robbery, please contact the FBI at 405-290-7770. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.

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

National Missing Children’s Day was designated as May 25th by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, after the disappearance of Etan Patz six years earlier. At the time, cases of missing children rarely garnered national media attention, but his case quickly received extensive coverage. His father, a professional photographer, distributed black-and-white photographs of him in an effort to find him. The resulting massive search and media attention that followed focused the public’s attention on the problem of child abduction and the lack of plans to address it.

The FBI was given jurisdiction under the “Lindbergh Law” in 1932 to immediately investigate any reported mysterious disappearance or kidnapping involving a child of “tender age”—usually 12 or younger. However, the FBI goes one step further, any child missing under the age of 18 the FBI can become involved as an assisting agency to the local police department. There does not have to be a ransom demand, the child does NOT have to cross the state lines or be missing for 24 hours. Research indicates the quicker the reporting of the mysterious disappearance or abduction the more likely the successful outcome in returning the child unharmed.

Eric B. Smith, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cleveland Division, announces the FBI’s continued support of National Missing Children’s Day. Smith states, “National Missing Children’s Day is a reminder to talk to your children about safety, in the community and online. It is a great time for parents/guardians to discuss with their children tips to stay safe, such as: who is safe to talk to online and in person; who is safe to get in a car with; what personal information should not be provided to others; why it is imperative that a parent or guardian always know a child’s location and who they are with; additional tips are available online at www.fbi.gov. The FBI will devote all necessary resources in order to bring a missing child home.”

“Members of Law Enforcement remind the community of the importance of staying engaged and connected to issues and incidents involving missing children. Ending Human Trafficking remains one of the highest priorities for investigators throughout the country,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams. “Here in the city of Cleveland, we keep the families and the victims in our hearts as we remain dedicated to reuniting the missing with their loved ones.”

The National Child Identification Program is a community service initiative dedicated to changing statistics by providing parents and guardians with a tool they can use to help protect their children. The ID Kit allows parents to collect specific information by easily recording the physical characteristics and fingerprints of their children on identification cards that are then kept by the parent or guardian. If ever needed, this ID Kit will give law enforcement vital information to assist their efforts to locate a missing child. Kits are available to order from the National Child ID Program, to download from Google Play on Android phones and on iPhones.

According to a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Internet safety pamphlet, a survey of 12 to 17 year olds revealed that 38% had posted self-created content such as photos, videos, etc. on line. Another survey of 10 to 17 year olds revealed 46% admit to having given out their personal information to someone they did not know. The likelihood that kids will give out personal information over the Internet increased with age.

Law enforcement reminds parents to be aware and involved, a few tips include:

• Monitor your child’s use of the Internet, keep your computer in an open, common area of the house.
• Tell your kids why it is important not to disclose personal information online.
• Check your kids’ profiles and what they post online.
• Explain to kids that once images are posted online they can lose control of them and can never get them back.
• Remind kids to only add people they know in real life to their contact lists.
• Ask your kids about the people they are communicating with online.

Additional tips for keeping children safe are listed on www.fbi.gov and www.missingkids.com. Teaching our children to avoid strangers is not enough!

According to FBI reports, 365,348 NCIC entries were made in 2020 for missing children. According to NCMEC, 21.7+ million tips were received regarding missing and exploited children in 2020.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that approximately 91% of missing children are endangered runaways, 5% are family abductions, 1% are lost or injured, 1% are nonfamily abductions and 3% are critically missing young adults between the ages of 18 to 20. Of the nearly 26,500 runaways reported to NCMEC in 2018, one in six were likely victims of child sex trafficking.

To date, the AMBER alert program has been credited with the safe recovery of 1,064 children. Each state, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have an AMBER alert plan.

The FBI, along with various law enforcement and community partners will be raising awareness about efforts to keep children safe at Steelyard Commons on Tuesday, May 25th from 11 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The media and community are invited to join us.

The FBI is fully committed to support our local law enforcement partners investigating missing and endangered children.