Category: United States of America

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

Romance scams occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust. The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim.

The criminals who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable. Con artists are present on most dating and social media sites.

The scammer’s intention is to establish a relationship as quickly as possible, endear himself to the victim, and gain trust. Scammers may propose marriage and make plans to meet in person, but that will never happen. Eventually, they will ask for money.

Scam artists may say they are in the building and construction industry and are engaged in projects outside the U.S. That makes it easier to avoid meeting in person—and more plausible when they ask for money for a medical emergency or unexpected legal fee.

If someone you meet online needs your bank account information to deposit money, they are most likely using your account to carry out other theft and fraud schemes.

Tips for Avoiding Romance Scams:

• Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
• Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere.
• Go slowly and ask lots of questions.
• Be aware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
• Beware if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you.
• Beware if the individual promises to meet in person, but then always comes up with an excuse for why he or she can’t. If you haven’t met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you have good reason to be suspicious.
• Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.

If you suspect an online relationship is a scam, stop all contact immediately. If you are the victim of a romance scam, file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov).

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

The FBI Boston Division is continuously working to raise awareness about online romance scams, also called confidence fraud. In this type of fraud, scammers take advantage of people looking for companionship or romantic partners on dating websites, apps, chat rooms, and social networking sites with the sole goal of obtaining access to their financial or personal identifying information. Romance scams are prevalent, especially during this time of year. Increased isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in more people looking for love online.

The criminals who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do. They spend hours honing their skills, relying on well-rehearsed scripts that have been used repeatedly and successfully, and sometimes keep journals on their victims to better understand how to manipulate and exploit them. In some cases, victims may be recruited, unknowingly, to transfer money illegally on behalf of others.

“The consequences of these scams are often financially and emotionally devastating to victims who rarely get their money back and may not have the ability to recover from the financial loss,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division. “While we recognize that it may be embarrassing for victims to report this type of fraud, it’s important to do so, so that the FBI and our law enforcement partners can do everything in our power to ensure these online imposters are held accountable.”

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which provides the public with a means of reporting Internet-facilitated crimes, romance scams have resulted in one of the highest amounts of financial losses when compared to other online crimes. Nationwide in 2020, almost 23,768 complaints categorized as romance scams were reported to the IC3 (4,295 more than the previous year), and the losses associated with those complaints total approximately $605 million. Here in the Boston Division, which includes all of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, 569 complaints were filed with financial losses totaling approximately $11.7 million.

• 57 victims in Maine reported financial losses totaling $1,514,636.
• 361 victims in Massachusetts reported financial losses totaling $8,006,260.
• 71 victims in New Hampshire reported losing $820,326.
• 80 victims in Rhode Island lost approximately $1,381,336.

The reported losses are most likely much higher as many victims are hesitant to report being taken advantage of due to embarrassment, shame, or humiliation.

Be careful what you post online because scammers can use that information against you, and always assume that con artists are trolling even the most reputable dating and social media sites. If you develop a romantic relationship with someone you meet online, consider the following:

• Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.
• Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere.
• Go slowly and ask lots of questions.
• Beware if the individual seems too perfect, or quickly asks you to communicate “offline.”
• Beware if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family.
• Beware if the individual claims to be working and living far away, whether it’s on the other side of the country or overseas.
• Beware if the individual promises to meet in person, but then always cancels because of some emergency.
• Beware if you’re asked to send inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you.
• Never send money to anyone you don’t know personally.
• Never help anyone move money through your own account or someone else’s. You could become an unwitting money mule for the perpetrator helping to carry out other theft and fraud schemes.

If you suspect an online relationship is a scam, stop all contact immediately and if you have already sent money, it is extremely important to report any transfer of funds to your financial institution and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

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

MERRILLVILLE—Victor Lofton, 57, of Humboldt, Tennessee, was charged in Lake County Superior Court on February 2, 2021, with two counts of murder for the 1992 murders of 4-year-old DenNisha Howard and her 21-year-old mother, Felicia Howard. DenNisha and Felicia were found shot to death inside their second floor apartment at 3804 Washington Street in Gary, Indiana, on July 15, 1992.

The charges against Lofton are the culmination of work by the FBI’s Gang Response Investigative Team (GRIT) who began re-investigating the case in February 2019.

“This was a horrific crime that shocked our local community in 1992,” said Detective Lieutenant Nicholas Wardrip, Hobart Police Department, who investigated this case along with Detective Corporal Justin Clark, Gary Police Department, both of whom are assigned to GRIT. “Lofton was born in East Chicago, Indiana, but moved to Tennessee at an early age. Lofton was interviewed by investigators in September 2020; however, he denied knowing either victim or even being in Indiana at the time of the murders. Investigators utilized DNA technology and interviewed witnesses to bring the case together against Lofton.”

Lofton was arrested in Jackson, Tennessee, by Jackson Police on February 5, 2021, and is currently awaiting extradition back to Lake County.

“This case should serve as notice to those committing violent crimes in Northwest Indiana that the tireless investigators of the FBI’s GRIT Task Force will never rest to ensure justice for those who have been victimized, even if it’s 29 years later,” said FBI Indianapolis GRIT Task Force Supervisory Special Agent Michael Peasley.

Also assisting in the investigation were the Gary Police Department, Lake County Police Department Crime Scene Unit, ATF, and the Humboldt, Tennessee Police Department.

The GRIT Task Force is a team of law enforcement professionals working in unison to reduce violent crimes and other federal criminal violations in Northwest Indiana in support of its local law enforcement partners. Its members are made up of agents, officers and support staff from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lake County Sheriffs Department, Merrillville Police Department, Hobart Police Department, Indiana State Police, Gary Police Department, Hammond Police Department, Crown Point Police Department, St. John Police, and the Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

This is the 9th cold case GRIT has solved since 2018. GRIT investigators are asking anyone with information on a cold case to call 219-942-4899.

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

The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and multiple Denver metro area police departments need your help identifying two individuals who are suspected to have conducted armed take-over style robberies, where they held bank employees and customers at gunpoint. Following is a list of the bank robbery details:

Monday, February 8, 2021
Key Bank
12101 East Dartmouth Avenue
Aurora, Colorado
Robbed at 4:10 p.m.

Key Bank
16796 East Smoky Hill Road
Centennial, Colorado
Robbed at 4:52 p.m.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021
BBVA Compass Bank
8101 East Belleview Avenue
Denver, Colorado
Robbed at 3:36 p.m.

Suspect #1 is described as a Black male, approximately 5’4” to 5’6” tall with a thin build. On Monday, February 8th, he was wearing a baseball cap, glasses, black ski mask, a gray hoodie, khaki pants, dark colored shoes with white soles, and gloves.

Suspect #2 is described as a Black male, approximately 5’8” to 5’10” tall with a thin build. On Monday, February 8th, he was wearing a blue baseball cap, green face covering, a blue hoodie, black pants, and black and white Nike tennis shoes.

Please be on the lookout for anyone matching the suspects’ descriptions. 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 can remain anonymous and earn up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).

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

The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and the Englewood Police Department need your help identifying an individual who robbed the U.S. Bank inside the King Soopers located at 101 Englewood Parkway, Englewood, Colorado, at 3:20 p.m. on Monday, February 8, 2021.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, approximately 5’6” to 5’8” tall, with a thin to medium build. He has brown eyes and thick, dark eyebrows. He was wearing a blue hat, a blue bandana as a face mask, a dark hoodie, blue jeans, and red tennis shoes.

Please be on the lookout for anyone matching the suspect’s 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 can remain anonymous and earn up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).