Tag Archives: fraud

Virgina Tech: Are your Cyber Monday purchases legit? There’s (going to be) an app for that

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Virginia Tech: Are your Cyber Monday purchases legit? There’s (going to be) an app for that. “Receiving a bogus designer handbag or imitation Wagyu beef might infuriate a Cyber Monday consumer, but a knock-off respirator or a fake pacemaker could imperil them. Virginia Tech researcher Emma Meno is developing a mobile app to empower buyers to ensure their purchases are legitimate. In a study published for Micromachines earlier this fall, Meno and a team of researchers described their work to date.”

AFP: News anchors targeted by deepfake scammers on Facebook

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AFP: News anchors targeted by deepfake scammers on Facebook. “In a Facebook video viewed by thousands, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer appears to hawk a diabetes drug. In another, ‘CBS Mornings’ host Gayle King seems to endorse weight loss products. But the clips are doctored — the latest in a rash of deepfakes that hijack images of trusted news personalities in spurious ads, undermining confidence in the news media. Similar social media posts in recent months have targeted Fox News personality Jesse Watters, CBC host Ian Hanomansing and BBC stars Matthew Amroliwala and Sally Bundock.”

Bloomberg: Google Sues Scammers Over Fake Bard AI Chatbot That Downloads Malware

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Bloomberg: Google Sues Scammers Over Fake Bard AI Chatbot That Downloads Malware. “Alphabet Inc.’s Google is suing five unidentified scammers who tricked people looking for Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot Bard into downloading malware onto their computers.”

Reuters: Payments app Zelle begins refunds for imposter scams after Washington pressure

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Reuters: Payments app Zelle begins refunds for imposter scams after Washington pressure. “Banks on the payment app Zelle have begun refunding victims of imposter scams to address consumer protection concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers and the federal consumer watchdog, in a major policy change.”

The Verge: Sam Bankman-Fried doesn’t recall

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The Verge: Sam Bankman-Fried doesn’t recall. “Midway through Sam Bankman-Fried’s cross examination, as prosecutor Danielle Sassoon went through a brutal line of questioning like a hot buzzsaw through a butter cow, I found myself reflecting on how smart the average person is. Maybe they don’t know calculus. Maybe they’ll never read Ulysses. Maybe they can’t code. But they definitely know how to identify bullshit when they see it.”

Launch of JustBan: search for rogue entrepreneurs via Just-on-web (Government of Belgium)

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Government of Belgium, and translated from Dutch: Launch of JustBan: search for rogue entrepreneurs via Just-on-web. “Want to check in just a few mouse clicks whether an entrepreneur is reliable? Yes, it is possible. Since October 20, 2023, everyone can consult the Central Register of Administrative Bans (JustBan) via Just-on-web , the digital portal of Justice. This register lists all persons and entrepreneurs who have been banned from being a director by the court and who are therefore not allowed to perform management functions in a company for a certain period.”

Authorities: Social media influencer Cesar Pina charged in multimillion-dollar Ponzi-like scheme (News 12 The Bronx)

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News 12 The Bronx: Authorities: Social media influencer Cesar Pina charged in multimillion-dollar Ponzi-like scheme. “Cesar Pina, 45, was charged with one count of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced. Authorities say Pina, who advertised real estate investments offering huge guaranteed profits, was actually running a Ponzi-like scheme, in which he took money from new investors to pay off older ones, as well as pocketing some of the cash. They say he’s been running the scheme since 2017.”

Axios: Gemini, Genesis and DCG hit with civil fraud suit in continuing crypto saga

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Axios: Gemini, Genesis and DCG hit with civil fraud suit in continuing crypto saga. “New York attorney general Letitia James announced Thursday that her office has sued Gemini Trust, Genesis Global and Digital Currency Group for defrauding some 230,000 investors of more than $1 billion.”

Krebs on Security: The Fake Browser Update Scam Gets a Makeover

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Krebs on Security: The Fake Browser Update Scam Gets a Makeover. “One of the oldest malware tricks in the book — hacked websites claiming visitors need to update their Web browser before they can view any content — has roared back to life in the past few months. New research shows the attackers behind one such scheme have developed an ingenious way of keeping their malware from being taken down by security experts or law enforcement: By hosting the malicious files on a decentralized, anonymous cryptocurrency blockchain.”

Decrypt: SBF Asked Former FTX Lawyer to Find ‘Legal Justifications’ for Missing Customer Funds

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Decrypt: SBF Asked Former FTX Lawyer to Find ‘Legal Justifications’ for Missing Customer Funds. “FTX former general counsel, Can Sun, testified on Thursday that Sam Bankman-Fried asked him to craft ‘legal justifications’ to explain why billions of dollars of customer funds were missing, as the exchange struggled to process customer withdrawals last November.”

US Department of Justice: Social Media Influencer Sentenced for Election Interference in 2016 Presidential Race

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US Department of Justice: Social Media Influencer Sentenced for Election Interference in 2016 Presidential Race . “According to court documents, by 2016, Douglass Mackey, aka Ricky Vaughn, had established an audience on Twitter with approximately 58,000 followers. A February 2016 analysis by the MIT Media Lab ranked Mackey as one of the most significant influencers of the then-upcoming presidential election. Between September 2016 and November 2016, Mackey conspired with other influential Twitter users and with members of private online groups to use social media platforms, including Twitter, to disseminate fraudulent messages that encouraged supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to ‘vote’ via text message or social media, which was legally invalid. “

FTC: Influence peddling? Bogus “brand ambassador managers” scam prospective influencers

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FTC: Influence peddling? Bogus “brand ambassador managers” scam prospective influencers. “We’ve warned professionals about online job scams involving phony ‘recruiters’ who falsely claim to represent big-name businesses. Employment impersonators are still at it, but this time they’re approaching people with bogus offers to be ‘brand ambassadors’ for well-known consumer products companies. The only ‘brand’ these fraudsters represent is their own sleazy financial interest.”

Fast Company: Fake airline reps are helping disgruntled passengers rebook flights in the latest bizarre X scam

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Fast Company: Fake airline reps are helping disgruntled passengers rebook flights in the latest bizarre X scam. “Earlier this month, Jason Rabinowitz—an aviation enthusiast who goes by @AirlineFlyer on social media and cohosts the AvTalk podcast from flight-tracking site FlightRadar24—noticed an uptick in bots replying to people who were tweeting at airlines for flight updates and customer service—with Air Canada among the common airlines whose customers ended up getting peppered with tweets. As someone who’s followed the airline industry for the past decade, Rabinowitz says the uptick in bot replies is unprecedented.”