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marketech-apac.com
· 2025-12-08
A TransUnion report on Hong Kong fraud reveals that 51% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials report being targeted by fraud schemes over three months, with Millennials experiencing the highest victimization rate at 7%. Vishing (fraudulent phone calls) and phishing were the most common attack methods, while digital fraud attempts in Hong Kong reached 5.7% of transactions in H1 2024—10% higher than the global average—with the community sector (dating and forum sites) recording the highest fraud rates at 15%.
wired.com
· 2025-12-08
**Scammer Payback Answers Scam Questions** (11/05/2024)
YouTube scambaiter Pierogi from Scammer Payback identifies key red flags of scams, including pressure to make quick decisions, requests for remote computer access, and demands for payment via gift cards, Cash App, wire transfers, or Bitcoin. The video addresses common scam types including tech support pop-ups, romance scams (citing a case where a 90+ year old woman was defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars by someone posing as a celebrity), and explains why scammers prefer gift cards for money laundering and anonymity, while demonstrating
aol.com
· 2025-12-08
The Atascadero Police Department warned SLO County residents of an identity theft scam where callers impersonate police officers investigating fraud cases. Scammers use caller ID spoofing to make calls appear to originate from the Police Department and request personal identifying information, with multiple residents already reporting the scam. Residents should avoid sharing personal information with suspicious callers and verify any questionable calls by contacting the Atascadero Police Department at 805-461-5051.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Jason Rhodes and Robert Munoz were charged with federal wire fraud and identity theft conspiracy for operating grandparent scams in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, collecting approximately $230,000 from elderly victims. The scammers posed as attorneys or family members calling seniors to claim a relative needed bail money, with Rhodes and Munoz acting as couriers to collect cash; they were arrested in March after police set up an operation at a victim's residence and seized $60,000 in cash and evidence from a hotel room. Victims are urged to contact local police or the National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-372-8311) if they believe they've been targeted.
boston25news.com
· 2025-12-08
Two men from New York and Florida were arrested in March for serving as couriers in grandparent scams targeting seniors across multiple states, collecting approximately $230,000 from victims in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Iowa, and beyond. Roberto Munoz and Jason Rhodes allegedly received victim names and addresses from scam organizers and traveled to collect bail payments that victims believed were needed for arrested grandchildren, with one victim pair paying $18,000 before recognizing the scheme. Both men were released on unsecured bond with GPS monitoring while the investigation continues, with authorities believing numerous additional families across Rhode Island and Massachusetts were victimized.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Two men from New York and Florida were arrested in March for their roles as couriers in grandparent scams targeting seniors across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and multiple other states. In early March, Roberto Munoz and Jason Rhodes allegedly collected approximately $230,000 from victims in over a dozen communities before police arrested them during a surveillance operation at a victim's home in Warwick, Rhode Island. The scams involved fraudsters posing as family members, attorneys, or law enforcement to convince elderly victims to send cash via couriers, with evidence suggesting the scheme targeted victims across at least nine additional states.
dhs.gov
· 2025-12-08
Two men, Roberto Munoz (29) of Florida and Jason Rhodes (34) of New York, were charged federally in November 2024 with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for operating as couriers in grandparent scams targeting elderly victims across multiple states. Operating in March 2024, Munoz and Rhodes collected approximately $230,000 from victims in over a dozen communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts by posing as family members, attorneys, or law enforcement and directing seniors to pay fake bail or legal fees; they were arrested after police set up surveillance at a victim's home where one grandparent couple had already paid $18,000.
crypto.news
· 2025-12-08
Coinbase's Chief Information Security Officer identifies social engineering scams as the top threat to crypto users, advising people to ignore unsolicited calls from exchanges, verify contacts through official channels (which can prevent up to 80% of such scams), and avoid sending crypto to unknown individuals. Additional threats include deepfake technology used to impersonate leaders and romance scams exploiting emotional vulnerabilities, with Coinbase addressing these risks through AI-driven fraud detection and machine learning monitoring, while advocating for industry-wide information sharing through initiatives like the Crypto Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
dispatch.com
· 2025-12-08
Spoofing is when callers or texters falsify their caller ID to hide their identity, often impersonating government agencies or companies to extract personal information—a scam that recently targeted Black Americans with racist text messages using spoofed numbers. The FCC recommends avoiding spoofing scams by not answering unknown numbers, never responding to requests for personal information, verifying calls by hanging up and calling official numbers independently, and using call-blocking tools. While spoofing is illegal under the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 and can result in fines up to $10,000, there is no surefire way to prevent your number from being spoofed, though
cincinnati.com
· 2025-12-08
Racist spoof text messages were sent to Black Americans across multiple states and college campuses, including Clemson University, telling recipients they were selected for enslavement. Spoofing is a scam technique where senders disguise their identity to appear as trusted sources, and while the practice itself is legal, using it to steal money or personal information is criminal; victims can block numbers, contact their carrier, file complaints with the FCC and FTC, or use spam-blocking apps to protect themselves. Although spoof numbers are difficult to trace, affected individuals can check public forums to identify others receiving the same messages.
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Job scams are increasing as scammers impersonate recruiters and companies on online employment platforms to steal money and personal information from job seekers. A 28-year-old quality assurance analyst lost $1,000 after depositing a fraudulent check and unknowingly sharing personal information with scammers who posed as a marketing technology company. To protect themselves, job seekers should research companies and recruiters before engaging, avoid clicking links or responding to unsolicited messages, never deposit suspicious checks, and remember that legitimate employers typically only request basic information (skills, experience, contact details) before making a job offer.
nemasket.theweektoday.com
· 2025-12-08
Two men, Roberto Munoz and Jason Rhodes, were arrested for serving as couriers in a multi-state "grandparent scam" that targeted elderly residents, including those in Lakeville, collecting approximately $230,000 from victims across Rhode Island and Massachusetts in early March. The scam involved fraudsters posing as family members, attorneys, or law enforcement officials to convince elderly victims their grandchildren needed bail money, which the couriers then collected in person. Both men faced federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
observernews.net
· 2025-12-08
The Florida Securities Dealers and Advisors Association will host a free panel discussion on November 8 in Sun City Center addressing fraud targeting veterans and their families, featuring experts from law enforcement, financial regulatory authorities, and consumer protection services. According to the Federal Trade Commission, veterans lost an estimated $292 million to fraud in 2022, with common schemes including identity theft, phishing scams, romance scams, and investment fraud, with benefits recipients being particularly vulnerable targets.
usatoday.com
· 2025-12-08
Global scam losses reached $1.03 trillion in the past 12 months, with U.S. victims experiencing the highest average loss per scam at $3,520, according to the 2024 Global State of Scams report. Scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence for attacks like deepfake grandparent scams and CEO fraud, with only 4% of victims recovering their money and 70% failing to report scams to law enforcement. Despite 67% of survey respondents claiming they can identify scams, the rising frequency of attacks—nearly half of people encounter scams weekly—demonstrates that education alone is insufficient to prevent victimization.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Fraud in Utah has increased significantly, costing residents $55.2 million in the first half of 2024 compared to $36.4 million in 2023, with imposter scams ranking among the top fraud schemes in the state. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah is prioritizing financial crime prosecutions, recently securing convictions and sentences including a 72-month sentence for a romance scam causing over $6 million in losses and a 50-month sentence for agricultural fraud totaling $1.2 million. Citizens are encouraged to report fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov or the FTC at
wrex.com
· 2025-12-08
The Better Business Bureau issued a warning to U.S. veterans about emerging scams targeting their money and identity, particularly around Veterans Day, including phishing, vishing, social media fraud, and "gaming fraud." Common tactics include credit card theft, account hacking, fake government benefit schemes requiring upfront fees, and imposter scams posing as veterans or veteran organizations. The BBB recommends veterans verify charities before donating, avoid pressure to donate immediately, and watch for charity names that mimic legitimate organizations.
irs.gov
· 2025-12-08
Three individuals were sentenced for their roles in a Ghana-based romance scam targeting elderly U.S. victims between March 2019 and March 2022: Sadia Alhassan (18 months prison), Shawn William Smith (1 day prison), and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu (5½ months prison). The defendants served as money launderers and intermediaries, receiving funds that scam victims wired or mailed after being deceived into believing they were in romantic relationships with military personnel, with total restitution ordered at $581,261.67.
mychesco.com
· 2025-12-08
Tashina Thompson, 29, of Philadelphia, was issued an arrest warrant for allegedly exploiting an elderly resident of East Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, where she worked as a home health caretaker from January to June 2024. Thompson faces charges including financial exploitation of an older adult, identity theft (25 counts), forgery (5 counts), and related fraud offenses; her current whereabouts are unknown. Police are seeking information on Thompson's location and urge anyone with tips to contact the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department.
lowellsun.com
· 2025-12-08
This article contains two unrelated pieces: The first describes UMass Amherst researchers developing a cheaper, portable device to detect PFAS (toxic "forever chemicals") in water, reducing testing costs from millions to thousands of dollars. The second reports the arrest of two men, Roberto Munoz and Jason Rhodes, who allegedly served as couriers in grandparent scams targeting elderly victims across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, collecting approximately $230,000 from victims in over a dozen communities.
sentinelandenterprise.com
· 2025-12-08
This article contains two unrelated stories. The first discusses UMass Amherst researchers developing an inexpensive, portable device to detect PFAS (harmful "forever chemicals") in drinking water, reducing testing costs from millions to thousands of dollars. The second describes the arrest of two men accused of operating a grandparent scam courier network that collected approximately $230,000 from elderly victims across Massachusetts and Rhode Island by posing as family members in legal trouble.
mynbc15.com
· 2025-12-08
The Better Business Bureau is warning seniors about two prevalent scams: holiday shopping scams involving fraudulent package delivery texts (which should never be clicked) and Medicare enrollment scams where criminals steal seniors' Medicare numbers and make fraudulent claims. The BBB advises seniors to verify package issues directly with retailers and monitor Medicare statements for unauthorized services or equipment, and is hosting an educational event in Baldwin County to help prevent victimization.
newslj.com
· 2025-12-08
This article covers multiple current fraud and cybersecurity threats: Wyoming residents report receiving suspicious DocuSign phishing emails and fraudulent holiday sale emails (claiming 50% off heaters endorsed by Elon Musk) with spelling errors and fake purchase links. The FBI warns that hackers are bypassing two-factor authentication by exploiting website cookies after users click fraudulent links, while a new "Quishing" scam embeds malicious code in QR codes to direct victims to harmful sites. Post-election scams are also surging, including deepfake videos from foreign sources and phishing attempts disguised as election updates or donation requests, with experts advising users to verify sources
legalserviceindia.com
· 2025-12-08
India's Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has prohibited transactions through "mule accounts"—bank or brokerage accounts used to conceal the true identity of individuals conducting illegal financial activities such as market manipulation, insider trading, and money laundering. The regulatory action targets a growing threat to market integrity, as rising digital trading platforms have made it easier for criminals to create mule accounts using fake or stolen identities to artificially inflate or deflate stock prices and mislead investors. This 2024 amendment strengthens SEBI's enforcement framework to enhance transparency, accountability, and investor protection in Indian securities markets.
jamaica-gleaner.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational article outlines key strategies for protecting oneself from cyberscams, emphasizing the "three S's": stay suspicious, stop to think, and stay protected. Common scam tactics exploit fear, urgency, and money as bait, with particular vulnerability among seniors and isolated individuals through romance scams, job scams, robocalls, and impersonation schemes; experts recommend verifying contacts through official channels and using reverse-image searches to identify fake profiles.
tribuneindia.com
· 2025-12-08
Fraudsters impersonating police officers are increasingly targeting citizens through calls and digital means, creating panic and extorting money by falsely claiming victims are implicated in criminal activities. Experts recommend multiple preventive measures including: enhanced public awareness about "digital arrest" scams (which are illegal), better police capacity building in cybercrime investigation, stricter sentencing laws, reporting suspicious calls to the national cyber crime helpline (1930), and collaboration between police and telecom providers to combat these scams.
acamstoday.org
· 2025-12-08
During the 2024 holiday season, scammers exploit increased shopping and financial transactions through six primary threats: phishing/smishing attacks impersonating banks and retailers, fake e-commerce sites and social media ads offering unrealistic deals, and charity scams mimicking legitimate nonprofits. Consumers are advised to verify sender authenticity, avoid clicking unsolicited links, research retailers thoroughly, and donate only through verified charity websites, while bank employees should monitor accounts for unusual activity and educate customers about legitimate communication practices.
publicnewsservice.org
· 2025-12-08
Pennsylvania experienced over 3,000 scam victims in the past year with losses exceeding $118 million, according to FBI data. Fraudsters employed various tactics including fake charities exploiting weather disasters, AI-generated voice cloning to impersonate trusted individuals, and impostor schemes where criminals pose as bank employees to trick victims into moving their money. Older Americans reported losses exceeding $1.9 billion to fraud, though actual losses may reach $62 billion when accounting for unreported cases, and the Federal Trade Commission has implemented new impersonation rules to combat these crimes.
local.aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
Family caregivers play a crucial role in protecting older adults from fraud, as seniors lose billions annually to scams including tech support, lottery, grandparent, investment, imposter, and romance schemes. AARP recommends caregivers maintain open communication with loved ones, educate them about common fraud tactics, establish protective financial measures, and monitor for signs of social isolation that increase scam vulnerability. Resources and guidance are available at www.aarp.org/fraud to help families prevent and respond to fraud targeting older adults.
mcknightsseniorliving.com
· 2025-12-08
From July 2023 to June 2024, the Department of Justice pursued over 300 enforcement actions against 700+ defendants who stole nearly $700 million from 225,000 elder fraud victims, while recovering $31 million and providing services to 230,000+ older adults. Investment scams caused the highest losses at $1.2 billion, followed by tech support scams ($590 million), business email compromise ($382 million), romance scams ($357 million), and government impersonation scams ($180 million), with the DOJ's National Elder Fraud Hotline receiving over 50,000 calls in the past year.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, cyberscammers stole $477 million from veterans, military personnel, and their spouses—a $63 million increase from 2022—affecting 30,948 military members, according to FTC data. Common scams targeting this population include romance scams (the most prevalent, costing over $40 million in 2020), veterans' benefit scams offering fraudulent benefit increases, phishing emails impersonating government agencies or the IRS, and rental property scams. The article provides details on these five major scam types and advises military members to be cautious of unsolicited offers and suspicious communications requesting personal information or upfront
highlandcountypress.com
· 2025-12-08
Tanya Alahmad, 46, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $46,064.30 in restitution after pleading guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. From November 2019 through February 2022, Alahmad befriended an elderly victim, forged their power of attorney signature, and used fraudulently obtained credit and debit cards along with unauthorized checks to steal over $46,000 from the victim's bank account, including while the victim was hospitalized. The case was prosecuted under the Elder Justice Initiative Program as part of the Department of Justice's efforts to combat financial frau
cnet.com
· 2025-12-08
Gift card fraud resulted in $54.4 million in losses during Q3 2024, with 11,743 incidents reported to the FTC, making vigilance especially important during the holiday shopping season. Common scams include thieves draining stolen or tampered physical cards before recipients use them, impersonating friends or family members via text or voice cloning to request emergency gift cards, purchasing fraudulent cards on resale sites, and fake prize schemes requiring gift cards as payment. To protect themselves, consumers should inspect physical cards for tampering, verify requests through direct contact, avoid discounted cards on auction sites, and remember that legitimate prizes never require advance payment.
wsbradio.com
· 2025-12-08
A 78-year-old man in Peachtree City, Georgia lost approximately $500,000 to fraud after spending $32,900 on gift cards in three weeks, obtaining a $150,000 home equity line of credit, and sending wire transfers to scammers. The Peachtree City Police Department is investigating the case and highlights common elder fraud schemes including romance, tech support, grandparent, government impersonation, sweepstakes, home repair, and family caregiver scams. Protective measures include establishing family passwords, resisting pressure to act quickly, avoiding unsolicited contact, and never sharing personal information or funds with unverified sources.
americanbanker.com
· 2025-12-08
A retired Navy commander in Virginia had his estate drained of $3.6 million through 74 wire transfers to Thailand while suffering from diminished mental capacity due to a stroke, with his bank failing to prevent the fraud despite an address as suspicious as "165 alley behind the old Phraya Karai Temple Wat." In a separate case, an 84-year-old Los Angeles man and his 76-year-old wife lost $18.5 million of $29.5 million moved from their accounts after scammers convinced them of a data breach, with Bank of America failing to flag the highly anomalous transactions. These cases highlight systemic vulnerabilities in bank oversight
forbes.com
· 2025-12-08
North Korean state-sponsored actors have infiltrated over 300 U.S. companies by posing as remote IT workers, with thousands believed involved in the operation directed at the highest levels of the North Korean regime. These fraudsters create fake identities using forged documents and stolen information, use VPNs to mask their locations, and once hired, redirect company laptops to offshore "laptop farms" where handlers provide remote access to North Korean hackers for theft, surveillance, and ransomware deployment. Organizations can mitigate risks through updated hiring policies, face-to-face verification when possible, and enhanced security protocols for remote workers.
king5.com
· 2025-12-08
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office launched a new Economic Crimes and Wage Theft division and held a public presentation on fraud prevention, highlighting warning signs and protection strategies. Key advice included avoiding clicking links from unknown senders, being cautious of AI-altered caller IDs, never sharing personal or financial information unsolicited, and recognizing gift card payment requests as scam indicators, particularly during high-risk periods like the holiday season. Prosecutors emphasized that while identity theft protection can help victims recover losses, fraud has broader economic consequences affecting banks and consumers through increased fees.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational article explains the rising threat of phishing scams that impersonate legitimate help desk and support teams, often creating false urgency (such as claiming account expiration) to trick victims into clicking malicious links or revealing personal information. The article provides guidance on identifying phishing emails by checking sender domain addresses for inconsistencies, and recommends protective steps including avoiding clicks on links or attachments, not engaging with scammers, reporting suspicious emails, and using antivirus software to detect threats.
aol.com
· 2025-12-08
Pennsylvania SNAP recipients received fraudulent text messages claiming their EBT cards were deactivated and requesting they call a provided number to reactivate them, according to a warning from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. The scam aimed to steal personal and financial information through identity theft, as the DHS confirmed it never requests such information via text message. Residents who receive suspicious texts about benefits should report them to the DHS fraud tip line at 1-844-347-8477.
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-08
A 30-year-old San Leandro woman, Qingyun Chen, was arrested for allegedly running a large-scale tech support scam that targeted elderly victims throughout the Bay Area by convincing them their computers were infected with viruses, then directing them to withdraw cash that couriers collected from their homes. Chen was identified during a September investigation into the scheme and charged with grand theft and theft/embezzlement of an elder adult, with bail set at $2.5 million; investigators recovered significant cash and evidence from two of her homes.
mynews4.com
· 2025-12-08
Nevada ranks as the most dangerous state for online dating scams, with the state ranking second nationally in romance scams, fourth in identity scams, and third in fraud overall. In 2023, Nevada residents filed approximately 259 romance scam complaints resulting in $5.8 million in losses, while nationally the FBI recorded nearly 18,000 romance scam complaints with victims losing over $652 million. Scammers use elaborate storytelling and false urgency to manipulate victims into sending money, sometimes totaling thousands of dollars, and victims are often reluctant to report due to embarrassment.
communityimpact.com
· 2025-12-08
The Elder Financial Safety Center (EFSC), formed in 2014 by Dallas County Probate Courts, the District Attorney's Office, and The Senior Source nonprofit, addresses financial exploitation of seniors through prevention, protection, and prosecution. The article details prevalent scams targeting seniors aged 50+, including romance scams, government impersonation, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams, and recommends protective measures such as not answering unknown calls and avoiding clicking on unsolicited texts and links. Services are free to eligible seniors in Dallas and surrounding counties, with one case cited involving a victim who lost $545,000 after being groomed through a fake Geek Squad text message scam
blog.google
· 2025-12-08
Google's Trust & Safety team is launching a regular advisory to track and combat increasingly sophisticated online fraud schemes, which are often orchestrated by transnational crime organizations using combined online and offline tactics. The advisory highlights five current scam trends: deepfake-enabled public figure impersonation campaigns promoting fraudulent investments and apps, crypto investment schemes promising unrealistic returns, app and landing page cloning that deceives users into sharing personal information or downloading malware, tech support scams using fake customer service pages, and credential theft through spoofed employee login portals. Google is implementing countermeasures including updated policies against impersonation in ads, enforcement against crypto fraud, and tools like SynthID to identify AI-
news.trendmicro.com
· 2025-12-08
This week saw a surge in phishing and smishing scams targeting personal and financial data, including fake Xbox console purchase offers using the phishing site xblgo[.]com, fraudulent X (Twitter) login alerts directing users to fake login pages, and 1,127 fake Lowe's text messages with bogus order updates and delivery notifications. All three scam types aim to steal credentials, account access, or financial information by tricking users into clicking malicious links or entering personal details on fake websites. Protection strategies include verifying sender information, avoiding clicking unknown links, and checking legitimacy directly through official websites and apps rather than through provided links.
wisn.com
· 2025-12-08
A gold bar scam has defrauded 49 Wisconsin residents of approximately $13 million, with victims averaging losses exceeding $250,000 each. Scammers impersonate bank officials and federal authorities, convincing victims their accounts are hacked and instructing them to purchase gold bars for "protection," then deploy couriers to collect the gold before disappearing with it. Two couriers, Gourav Patel and Junjie Liang, have been arrested in connection with the scheme, which operates across the upper Midwest.
nysenate.gov
· 2025-12-08
This is an educational webinar on elder fraud prevention held on November 14th featuring experts from AARP, the New York County District Attorney's Office, and NYPD Crime Prevention. Participants learned about emerging scam tactics and protective measures against phone scams, internet fraud, and identity theft, with resources provided including the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, FTC fraud reporting, and the AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline.
browndailyherald.com
· 2025-12-08
In early March, a Warwick grandparent couple lost $18,000 to a "grandparent scam" in which fraudsters impersonated their grandson needing bail money; when asked for an additional $40,000, the couple recognized the scheme and contacted police, leading to the arrest of two out-of-state men who were found with $60,000 in cash and allegedly collected $230,000 from similar schemes. Rhode Island has experienced a 22% growth rate in elder fraud cases between 2022 and 2023—the third-highest in the nation—prompting increased law enforcement investigations, legislative proposals to combat scams, and awareness campaigns by organizations like
usatoday.com
· 2025-12-08
Bank fraud affected 29% of bank customers in the past year, with 45% of those victims experiencing multiple incidents, according to a J.D. Power study. Fraud proliferates through peer-to-peer payment apps, data breaches that expose personal information to scammers, and social engineering tactics where fraudsters impersonate banks. Experts recommend customers proactively protect accounts through security centers, complex passwords, and fraud alerts rather than only reactively monitoring transactions.
cleveland19.com
· 2025-12-08
A 76-year-old South Euclid woman lost $23,000 in an elaborate scam that began with a fraudulent email claiming to be from Discover and involved impersonators posing as a LifeLock customer service representative, bank fraud expert, and FBI agent. Within 90 minutes, the scammers convinced the victim to withdraw the entire amount from her checking account across three bank locations and hand over the cash to a man in a Starbucks parking lot. Police emphasize that legitimate federal agents never ask victims to provide their own money during investigations, and recommend contacting authorities, family, or an attorney before responding to unsolicited requests for funds.
thenationonlineng.net
· 2025-12-08
A 28-year-old internet fraudster named Patrick Akpoguma was arrested in Lagos after defrauding multiple victims through romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and identity theft, earning over $500,000 in three years by impersonating prominent figures like a U.S. Army Colonel and cryptocurrency expert using fake social media accounts and masks. During his arrest on November 7, 2024, Akpoguma attempted to bribe police with $100,000 to secure his release, but officers rejected the bribe, documented it as evidence, and proceeded with prosecution.
thesun.ng
· 2025-12-08
A 28-year-old internet fraudster, Patrick Akpoguma, was arrested in Lagos after police rejected his $100,000 USD (N174 million) bribe offer during investigation into his crimes. Akpoguma confessed to operating romance scams, identity theft, cryptocurrency fraud, and other cyber crimes over three years, during which he allegedly defrauded victims of over $500,000 USD and used proceeds to purchase multiple properties including houses and a vehicle worth N100 million.