FTC Charges Three in $9M Phone Fraud Ring
The FTC has shut down a phone fraud scam that involved scammers calling consumers–mostly elderly and on fixed incomes–and pressuring them to invest in web sites that supposedly had ties to large companies, promising quick returns. The scheme allegedly netted the scammers more than $9 million. The scheme involved six companies that the FTC alleges were […]
IRS Phone Fraud Ring Disrupted in India
Authorities in the Indian city of Mumbai say that a large phone fraud ring was operating in the city for more than a year, running the IRS tax scam and stealing as much as $150,000 per day from victims, mainly in the United States. Police in Mumbai this week conducted raids on nine call centers […]
U.S. Charges Two in Lizard Squad DDoS, Phone Bombing Attacks
The Department of Justice has charged two teenagers in connection with a scheme that involved hacking-for-hire activities as well as a service that would make repeated harassing phone calls to victims for a price. The charges are related to an investigation into the Lizard Squad hacking group, which has been tied to a number of DDoS […]
Mobile Carriers Move to Address Robocalls
The robocall problem long ago spread to mobile phones, but mobile carriers have been somewhat slow to react and address the issue. Sprint this week has taken a step to rectify that by announcing a plan to integrate enhanced caller ID features into its offerings. The company announced Wednesday that it will be integrating technology […]
Phone Scammers Target Immigrants in New Campaigns
Phone scams come in all shapes and sizes, and there are several new schemes that are targeting immigrants with demands for payments to maintain or update their immigration status. The scams closely resemble the IRS phone fraud scams that prey on victims’ fear of being penalized or arrested for unpaid back taxes. In this case, […]
AT&T Hit With $6.8 Million Fine in Cramming Investigation
AT&T will pay nearly $7 million in restitution to consumers who were victims of a scam in which a couple of sham companies were allowed to bill wireline customers for fake district assistance services without their consent or knowledge. The settlement is the result of an investigation that began when the Drug Enforcement Administration was looking […]
Using Forensic Linguistics to Fight Phone Fraud
LAS VEGAS–One of the difficulties in protecting against phone fraud scams is actually detecting them. Technology certainly helps, but in a lot of cases, it’s up to the potential victim on the other end of the line to figure it out for himself. That has turned out to be a fairly high hurdle for a […]
Judge Rules Political Robocalls Are Legal
A federal judge has ruled that robocalls made on behalf of political candidates are protected by the First Amendment and cannot be outlawed. The decision came in a case in Arkansas, where political robocalls had been illegal for more than 30 years. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Leon Holmes ruled that banning political robocalls amounts to […]
Google Listing, Political Scams Top Phone Fraud Threats
Nearly 20 percent of all phone fraud calls hitting consumers and businesses this year are part of the fake Google listing scam, more than twice as many as the eight percent that are loan scam calls, according to new data released by Pindrop Labs. The Google listing scam is a relatively new one, having appeared just […]