# Scam
Miami Accountants Face Organized Crime Charges After Stealing From Clients
Two Miami accountants face organized crime charges and other federal charges after committing tax fraud. The duo allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars from clients. Per Miami-Dade police records, Juan Carlos Mendieta, 50, of Miami Gardens and Leandro Machado Gonzalez, 26, operated a tax preparation firm called Famous Accounting, Inc.
Woman in $400K GoFundMe Scam Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison
In federal court on Thursday, Katelyn McClure finally saw justice when she was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to make restitution for scamming 14,000 people who donated to a GoFundMe she supposedly set up for a homeless man. McClure will also have to serve three years of supervised release for scamming $400,000 in donations.
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Scammers dupe Denver victims in bogus pygmy goat scheme
(Denver, Colo.) Denver police warn residents about an online scam where people posing as goat breeders lure buyers into purchasing the animals sight unseen. The scammers then ask for more and more money and claim the expenses are part of the goat ownership transition process.
Walmart Gets a Black Eye From the Federal Trade Commission
On June 28, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Walmart for allowing its money transfer services to be used by fraudsters, according to a just-released announcement. The FTC says Walmart customers were "fleeced" out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Its lawsuit alleges that "for years, the company turned a blind eye while scammers took advantage of its failure to properly secure the money transfer services offered at Walmart stores."
Hackers Stole Woman's $26,000 Life Savings. Two Months Later, Citibank Still Won't Honor Responsibility To Refund It
Mike Mozart from Funny YouTube, USA, CC BY 2.0 via WikiCommons. It's the kind of nightmare most will only read about, but for Jacqueline Berman of NY, it's actually happening. Over a month ago, her phone was hacked. While she handled the issue with T.Mobile quickly, her bank info ended up being compromised and a hacker was able to get into her Citibank account to assign a new payee.
Intuit Turbo Tax “Free” Filing Campaign Scammed $100 M from Taxpayers
$141 million settlement with Intuit Inc. after a multistate investigation reveals Intuit mislead consumers into paying for the company’s online tax prep services. The State of New Jersey’s Attorney General announced today a $141 million settlement with the financial software company Intuit Inc. over "misleading claims" that lead over 70,000 New Jersey taxpayers into purchasing paid versions of Intuit’s TurboTax software.
Alert Issued on Gift Card Scams from Division of Consumer Affairs
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has released a consumer alert due to the rise of gift card scams in New Jersey. Attorney General Platkin recently announced that the Division of Consumer Affairs has issued a consumer alert on gift card scams along with guidelines for retailers to train their employees on signs that a consumer is falling victim to this common form of fraud.
Beware of LinkedIn Scammers - My Story of Deception
Crypto assets are maturing as alternative class of assets. As cryptocurrencies rise in popularity and price, the scams rise to the occasion. In late February I received a request to connect on LinkedIn from a person claiming to be the Director of Market Research at DIOR. Their profile stated they were from Singapore and working in Toronto for a few months. The profile was for Elaine Li, with a picture of a woman with oriental heritage. "Elaine" said she was wanting to exchange cultural information and hoped we could learn from each other in conversation. Being the professional I am, I connected.
Instagram Account Recovery Scammers Prey on the Vulnerable
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Targeting the vulnerable is an effective strategy for scammers. For many bad actors, the ideal victim is someone that is already in a stressful situation, and they prey upon their desperation with an overwhelmingly high success rate.
New Jerseyans Lost Over $98 Million to Cybercrime in 2020 – How to Protect Yourself
Data from the Internet Crime Report reveals the massive losses in the U.S. and New Jersey to cybercrime in 2020, and the danger is only rising. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) was established in May of 2000 to receive complaints of internet crime.
Protect yourself from utility phone scams
Lady talking on mobile in front of computerKarolina Grabowska/Pexels. Utility scammers are hard at work attempting to deceive consumers. Truecaller, a call-security software provider, says that Americans lost $29.8 billion to phone scammers in the preceding 12 months, up from $19.7 billion the previous year, based on the findings of a March 2021 poll. According to the survey, 59 million Americans lost money to phone scams over that period, with the average cost increasing by 43 percent, from $351 to $502.
NJ Congressman Introduces Legislation To Protect Cryptocurrency Investors
February 15, 2022 - US Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey’s 5th District released a discussion draft of the Stablecoin Innovation and Protection Act of 2022. On February 15, 2022, US Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey’s 5th District released a discussion draft of a bill titled, “Stablecoin Innovation and Protection Act of 2022.”
Romance Scams Are on the Increase in Florida - How Can You Avoid Being Ripped-Off While Online Dating?
Online dating can be hard at the best of times, but in recent years it was even more difficult to meet people in person. Those looking for love were left with few options other than to resort to online dating via apps such as Tinder.
Freelance graphic designer nearly loses $1000 to elaborate Upwork scam
The number of opportunities for freelancers is potentially endless. No matter what you specialize in, there is always going to be somebody that can use your services. While it sometimes can be difficult to find clients, platforms exist online solely to help freelancers find work with relative ease.
NFT Scams Claim Millions From Investors
NFT investing is seeing a rise of complex scams tricking many eager buyers out of their investment. Verification sites and insurance providers try to protect investors, but scammers continue to profit off the “wild west” atmosphere of NFT investing.
Virginia residents latest to be targeted by "arrest warrant" phone scam
Cell phone showing unknown caller.Ronstik/Getty Images (Canva Pro license.) The "arrest warrant" phone scam has been targeting vulnerable people nationwide for several months now. Law enforcement officials in Vermont, Georgia, and Maine have recently reported that residents of their states have been targeted in the scam.