Spoofing means pretending to be something you are not, usually associated these days with fraud.

   Another phone scam using Franklin County Sheriff’s number

Recently, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department says they’ve gotten a number of alerts from citizens in the region saying they got a call from a person or persons claiming they owe fines to the county. The callers are demanding payments to clear outstanding warrants.

 The number on caller ID shows it’s from the Sheriff’s Department

 Spoofing allows a caller to substitute a different number that will show up on the victim or recipient’s caller ID. In these cases, the number shows it’s the main line for the Franklin County Sheriff’s office.

 The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) says do not answer any call that appears suspicious, or is unknown; if the call is spoofed to look like it’s legitimate but you have doubts, hang up. If you wish, you can call the ‘real’ entity that shows up on your caller ID and let them know somebody is spoofing using their number.

The FCSO says no law enforcement agency will ever contact people in this way, demand payment for fines, or threaten jail–ever.

Believe it or not, there are apps online that allow you to spoof numbers

It is a federal felony to spoof someone using another number, for the purposes of harm or fraud. But, since that is hard to prove in our modern tech world, it’s rarely…

Posted on: June 29, 2022, 08:45h. 

Last updated on: June 29, 2022, 08:45h.

A financial advisor in Australia who was supposed to be helping a client turn her income into life-saving earnings used it to feed his alcoholic and gambling lifestyle, instead. He’ll go to jail for his crimes, according to The Guardian, but that won’t help the client recuperate the AU$363,000 (US$230,000) she lost.

In 2010, Scott Hines was working at the Mildura branch of advisory firm ANZ as a financial advisor when he met the soon-to-be victim. After learning that the unidentified woman had property and an inheritance of AU$1 million (US$687,600), Hines agreed to help.

He laid out a financial plan to help the single mother, who was struggling to care for her disabled daughter. However, Hines had different plans that would ultimately impact the young girl, suffering from cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Menace to Others

Hines took $100,000 (US$68,730) from the victim’s account and converted it into cash that he could spend at will. Next, he “borrowed” AU$230,000 (US$158,217) more from her account later that same year….

With all the current scams going on, the Bank of Colorado has several informative sheets for people to read so they won’t fall victim to one or more of these scams.

The first is cryptocurrency, which are the little coins being sold.  Cryptocurrency is not insured by the government or any government organization.  If it is stored online, it does not have the same protection as money deposited in a bank account and if the company has any of your private information and the company ceases to exist, your information is fair game to anyone who can get into those accounts.

The value on these types of accounts is always changing.  No one can guarantee that any cryptocurrency will increase in value or hold its current value.  People with fraud in mind have several kinds of scams and now they are updating and using cryptocurrency as a target.  If you are offered any benefits or told to send money to any account you do not know, you are probably being scammed.  Report this to the Sheriff’s Office right away and don’t answer.

Bank of Colorado also had several questions to ask yourself and if you answer yes, you are probably being scammed.  Were you asked to send a payment, an overpayment or funds of any kind via a money transfer service, such as MoneyGram, Western Union, etc.?  Were you asked to purchase a gift card or a reloadable debit card?  Were you asked to send money to claim a lottery or sweepstakes claim?

Were you asked to send money in order to qualify for a…

The UK is facing an “epidemic of fraud”, driven by a surge of scams where victims are tricked into sending cash to fraudsters’ accounts, according to a financial services trade body.

The more than £580mn lost in 2021 in this type of scam known as authorised push payment fraud — a 40 per cent increase, year on year — reflects criminals’ efforts to exploit the pandemic, according to a report by UK Finance published on Wednesday.

“Fraudsters have become increasingly adept at adapting their methods to suit changes in our lifestyles and in consumer behaviour. We can only tackle this through effective co-ordinated action,” said Katy Worobec, UK Finance’s managing director for economic crime.

“We need continued efforts from government and other sectors to tackle what is now a national security threat.”

Overall losses to fraud in the UK rose to £1.3bn in 2021 compared with £1.2bn in 2020. About 44 per cent of the total came from authorised push payment fraud, according to the findings, while 40 per cent involved payment cards, including counterfeits.

An additional 15 per cent came from remote banking transactions, made via the internet, phone or mobile apps.

Of the almost 200,000 cases of authorised push payment fraud reported by UK Finance members, “purchase scams” — in which victims pay for goods or services that they never receive — were the most common, making up almost half of cases.

However, investment scams caused the greatest losses….

Investigators zero in on a broadband operator in Kathmandu behind harassment of Indian borrowers; mid-day visits place, but staff refuse to cooperate

Oasis Broadband has its office on the 5th floor of this building in Kathmandu

Weeks after this correspondent took loans from digital lending apps to dig deeper into their unethical methods, mid-day went beyond borders—all the way up to Kathmandu—to learn more about calls made to a city woman from Nepal. Two mobile numbers tied to the calls had cropped up during the probe into the suicide of the woman who was being hounded by loan wolves. City cops said they can’t do much at this stage since it involves a different country.

Headquartered on the 5th floor of Tamrakar House in the heart of Nepal capital, Oasis Broadband Internet Pvt. Ltd. is a popular name locally and provides internet to about 60 per cent of the area. mid-day spoke to the staff with the help of an interpreter. This newspaper shared the IP addresses of WiFi routers used by the recovery agents and sought more details about their owners.

The staff at Oasis Broadband didn’t cooperate

Investigations by Mumbai cybercops have shown that loan apps have engaged people from across India and Nepal to threaten borrowers to cough up money. The highly invasive apps get complete access to the borrower’s phone after which their agents morph customers’ personal photos to blackmail them.

Despite much prodding,…

The High Court in London will hear evidence from two psychiatrists on their differing views over the level of suicide risk posed by fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi if he were to be extradited to India, a two-judge panel ruled on Tuesday at a continuation appeal hearing.

Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay concluded that three days, expected in October, will be set aside for a substantial hearing to address a change in the “evidential landscape” in the extradition case involving the 51-year-old diamond merchant.

He is wanted in India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an estimated $2 billion in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam case and had lodged an appeal last year against a lower court’s extradition order on mental health grounds.

“If even a significant proportion of this evidence is admissible, the evidential landscape has changed substantially since the District Judge’s decision (in favour of extradition),” said Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, with reference to the “massive material” presented as evidence in the case.

The court noted a “difference of opinion” between two psychiatrists who gave their expert opinion on Mr. Modi’s mental health and directed the…

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Four Lowcountry residents on Tuesday pleaded guilty to defrauding the federal government of nearly $5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

Lori Hammond (53) of Summerville, Catherine Needham (36) of Manning, Jontrell Wright (35) of Holly Hill, and Christopher Conrad (39) of Holly Hill all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in connection to the scheme.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, Hammond submitted “multiple materially fraudulent PPP loan applications … on behalf of herself and her co-conspirators” over a period of about seven months from June of 2020 to July of 2021.

Hammond “used the identity of a deceased individual, misrepresented the number of employees and payroll expenses of the entities seeking the loans, attached fraudulent tax documents, and made numerous other false and misleading statements.”

After receiving $4,721,638.50 total, the defendants used the funds “for non-qualifying, non-business-related purposes, including homes, property, cars, and other personal purchases.”

Each defendant is facing a maximum of twenty years in prison plus three years supervision and a fine of up to $250,000 restitution.

Debt consolidation is a big business. Millions of people are struggling with debt, and many of them turn to debt consolidation companies in order to get help. Mobilend advertises itself as a popular debt consolidation company. But is it a scam, or is it legit? In this mymobilend.com review, we will take a close look at the company and see what it has to offer.

Mobilend is not a lender. That means that if you consolidate your debt with Mobilend, you will not be getting a loan from them. Instead, they will be working with you to find a lender who is willing to give you a loan. This can be beneficial because it gives you more options and allows you to compare rates. However, it can also be risky because you are dealing with a middleman.

The biggest problem with Mobilend is that they are a lead-generating company. That means that their main purpose is to generate leads for other companies. They do this by selling your information to third-party lenders. This is how they make their money, and it’s why they’re able to offer their services for free.

While there are some benefits to using Mobilend, the risks are too high. Find a debt consolidation lender who is willing to work with you directly. There are plenty of reputable companies out there, and you don’t need to take chances with your finances.

Mobilend Pros and Cons

If you’re considering taking out a loan, you may have come across the company…

Last week, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis warned Floridians of scam artists taking advantage of the federal student loan repayment pause issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

The federal student loan repayment program was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has since been extended until August 31, 2022. Scammers have been using these extensions to contact loan borrowers and promising them total loan forgiveness or offering forgiveness programs for which they do not qualify.

“As our national economy continues to squeeze the pockets of Floridians, scammers are seizing the opportunity to take advantage of unsuspecting borrowers; many of whom are desperate for relief. These bad actors prey on innocent people by promising them total loan forgiveness if they provide access to their account information. These unforgiving tactics only allow fraudsters to steal your identity and wreak havoc on your personal finances. Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it is! For all those with outstanding student loan debt, stay on guard for similar fraudulent activities and only use federal loan forgiveness plans provided by the U.S. Department of Education. As always, if you are suspicious of fraudulent activity, report it at FraudFreeFlorida.com,” Patronis said.

The Federal Trade Commission advises:

• There are specific federal loan forgiveness programs. There are the Public Service…

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Gunvor, the energy trading firm and shipowner cofounded by sanctioned Russian Oligarch and Putin’s long-time friend Gennady Timchenko, has secured sustainability loans worth $912 million.

The credit facility, which was launched initially at US$500 million in April 2022, got strong support from 23 banks and closed oversubscribed by over 82 percent. Gunvor may upsize the loan thanks to a US$200 million accordion feature to accommodate banks that are interested in providing loan capital after June 2022.

This is the first time Gunvor has borrowed via a sustainability-linked loan structure that tracks key Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) performance indicators that include climate, energy transition, and human rights.

Also Read: Gunvor Requests Jones Act Waiver to Deliver Gasoline to U.S. East Coast

“We are grateful for the tremendous support from our banking partners during this extremely challenging period of record volatility and uncertainty,” said Gunvor regional CFO Jean Rohr. “Our partners found confidence in our strong financial results, solid liquidity management, and commitment to the energy transition”.

The question remains, however, how much of Gunvor’s past history was investigated by these ESG banks and how energy traders are dealing with increased geopolitical risks moving forward.

Gunvor’s Mixed ESG History

While Gunvor claims it’s no longer connected to Russia – Timchenko sold his stake in Gunvor to his Swedish…