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in Money Mule / Laundering
lfpress.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams involve fraudsters posing as romantic interests online to manipulate victims into sending money, personal information, or cryptocurrency, often citing emergencies or investment opportunities. Recent cases in Ontario have resulted in significant losses, including one victim losing over $2 million and a Toronto woman losing $450,000; nationally, nearly 800 Canadians lost almost $42 million to romance scams in 2023, with one in four victims in their 60s. Protection strategies include avoiding sharing personal or banking information with online strangers, refusing to invest in unfamiliar platforms, and being wary of people who confess love quickly or consistently make excuses to avoid meeting in person.
cbs12.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal law enforcement agencies in Florida are prosecuting money mules—individuals who transfer stolen funds from fraud victims to international scam operators—as part of a multi-agency initiative involving the FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office, Secret Service, and FDIC. Three Florida residents laundered between $1.5 million and $9.5 million by impersonating bank representatives to steal small business owner information and move funds, with one defendant sentenced to 46 months in prison and another awaiting sentencing; a separate case involved a man who recruited others to open bank accounts and withdraw money from victims defrauded on eBay, Booking.com, and Airbnb. The DOJ emphas
el-observador.com
· 2025-12-08
A California man was sentenced to four years in prison for orchestrating romance scams that defrauded two elderly Arizona women of hundreds of thousands of dollars. AARP Arizona warns that romance scammers exploit victims' desire for companionship through dating apps and other platforms, escalating requests from gift cards to bank account access, with warning signs including early declarations of love, emergency money requests, and broken promises to meet in person. Resources like AARP's Fraud Watch Network (1-877-908-3360) provide free assistance, and experts advise never sending money via wire transfer or cryptocurrency to online contacts.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced a Money Mule Initiative in partnership with the FBI, Secret Service, and FDIC-OIG to identify, disrupt, and prosecute networks that facilitate fraud schemes targeting older Americans, including lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams. Money mules—individuals who receive and transfer stolen funds—are recruited either as unwitting victims of scams or through fake work-at-home job offers, and law enforcement is pursuing criminal prosecution against those knowingly assisting fraudsters, with recent cases involving defendants laundering between $1.5 million and $9.5 million in fraud proceeds.
secretservice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, in partnership with the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and FDIC Office of Inspector General, launched the Money Mule Initiative to identify and prosecute individuals who transfer stolen funds from fraud victims to international criminals. The initiative targets money mule networks that facilitate various scams affecting older Americans, including lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams, with some money mules unknowingly recruited as victims themselves or through fake work-at-home job offers. Law enforcement has brought criminal charges against multiple defendants, including cases involving multi-continent money laundering schemes and bank impersonation plots targeting small business owners.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Two Florida and Michigan residents were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in an international fraud conspiracy that defrauded senior citizens of millions of dollars. The scheme involved fake tech support warnings that led victims to surrender cash, wire transfers, and gift cards through various ruses, including impersonation of federal agents and false claims of compromised bank accounts; White was sentenced to 97 months and ordered to pay $3.2 million in restitution, while McNamara received 51 months and must pay $693,073 in restitution. One West Michigan victim lost $398,000 to the conspiracy, which operated with scammers based in India and used U.S.-based oper
michigansthumb.com
· 2025-12-08
McKhaela McNamara (Flint, Michigan) and Jmyla White (Florida) were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in an international wire fraud conspiracy targeting senior citizens across multiple states, with McNamara receiving 51 months and ordered to pay $693,073 in restitution, while White received 97 months and was ordered to pay $3.2 million. The scam began with fake virus warnings on victims' computers, prompting them to call numbers where perpetrators impersonated tech company representatives or federal agents, then convinced victims to withdraw cash, make wire transfers, or purchase gift cards through various ruses involving compromised bank accounts, infected computers, or criminal
securityboulevard.com
· 2025-12-08
North Korean hackers posed as American IT workers to secure remote positions at over 300 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 firms in technology, aerospace, and entertainment sectors, using stolen identities and laptop farms to funnel salaries into Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program while potentially installing malware on company networks. Two conspirators were arrested—Oleksandr Didenko (Ukrainian, facing up to 67 years) and Christina Chapman (Arizona, facing up to 97 years)—with the latter operating a laptop farm containing over 90 computers from her home, while authorities continue searching for additional foreign co-conspirators and offer a $5 million reward for information
dlnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Two foreign nationals—Daren Li (41, dual China/St. Kitts and Nevis citizen) and Yicheng Zhang (38, Chinese national in California)—were charged with laundering approximately $73 million in cryptocurrency stolen from victims of pig-butchering scams, which involve fraudsters building trust with victims online before convincing them to invest in fake projects. The defendants operated an international money laundering syndicate that funneled illicit proceeds through shell company bank accounts and crypto platforms to obscure the funds' origins, with one cryptocurrency wallet alone receiving over $341 million in virtual assets.
thehackernews.com
· 2025-12-08
U.S. Department of Justice charged two Chinese nationals, Daren Li and Yicheng Zhang, with orchestrating a "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scam that laundered at least $73 million through shell companies and international bank accounts. The victims were deceived into transferring millions to U.S. bank accounts, with funds then routed through the Bahamas and converted to cryptocurrency, and both defendants face up to 20 years in prison per count. Pig butchering scams typically exploit lonely or wealthy targets via social media and dating apps, with the scheme often operating from scam factories in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar where victims are trafficked and coerced into participation
gigazine.net
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
On May 17, 2024, U.S. authorities arrested two Chinese nationals—Darren Li and Yichen Zhang—for laundering approximately $73 million (11 billion yen) through shell companies connected to "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scams, a romance fraud scheme originating in China where perpetrators build trust with victims before directing them to fraudulent investments. The suspects operated an international syndicate that funneled victim funds through multiple bank accounts and crypto platforms, with cryptocurrency wallets in the scheme containing over $341 million; they face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on money laundering charges.
blockonomi.com
· 2025-12-08
U.S. authorities arrested two Chinese nationals, Daren Li and Yicheng Zhang, for orchestrating a transnational money laundering scheme that funneled over $73 million from "pig butchering" cryptocurrency scams through U.S. financial institutions and converted the funds into USDT (Tether) tokens. The defendants directed co-conspirators to establish shell company bank accounts where victims were deceived into depositing millions, which were then dispersed to accounts in the Bahamas and converted to cryptocurrency. If convicted on money laundering charges, each defendant faces up to 140 years in prison.
icij.org
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Treasury Department released a national illicit finance strategy outlining plans to operationalize its new beneficial ownership database for law enforcement, modernize anti-money laundering policies, and address emerging threats including cryptocurrency "pig butchering scams," ransomware, and real estate money laundering. The strategy identifies regulatory gaps in the financial system and highlights recent enforcement actions, including efforts to seize properties purchased with illicit funds, such as apartments linked to foreign officials and corrupt actors. Treasury aims to improve collaboration between domestic and international partners while developing new secure financial platforms and providing training for regulators to combat evolving financial crimes.
techcrunch.com
· 2025-12-08
On Tuesday, major tech companies including Match Group, Meta, and Coinbase launched "Tech Against Scams," a coalition aimed at combating online fraud across dating apps, social media, and cryptocurrency platforms. Romance scams cost users more than any other fraud type as of 2019, while social media scams caused $770 million in losses in 2021 and investment scams exceeded $3.8 billion in losses in 2022; the coalition plans to improve fraud detection, user education, and data-sharing between platforms to address these issues.
aba.com
· 2025-12-08
I cannot summarize this content as it does not contain an article about scams, fraud, or elder abuse. The text appears to be a navigation menu or table of contents from a banking industry website (American Bankers Association), listing various topics, training programs, conferences, and committees related to banking and financial services.
To provide a summary for the Elderus database, please provide an actual article or transcript about a specific scam, fraud incident, or elder abuse case.
noozhawk.com
· 2025-12-08
Brett Edward Lovett, a 53-year-old Camarillo man, was convicted in March 2018 of 29 felony counts including investment fraud, elder theft, grand theft, and money laundering for defrauding at least five victims of over $500,000 between 2010 and 2016. Lovett befriended vulnerable individuals, including elderly members of a Carpinteria church, and persuaded them to invest their money with false promises of high returns, leaving some victims homeless and destitute. He faced sentencing in June 2018 with prosecutors requesting over 28 years in prison, following a 15-month investigation by the California Department
gulflive.com
· 2025-12-08
Florida's seniors lost nearly $300 million to scams in 2023, with the state ranking second nationally for elder fraud complaints. Major schemes included investment fraud ($90 million), tech support scams ($51 million), and romance scams ($40 million), often resulting in devastating consequences such as foreclosed homes and emptied retirement accounts. Nationally, people over 60 lost approximately $3.4 billion to fraud in 2023, representing an 11% increase from the previous year.
the-sun.com
· 2025-12-08
Pamela Mangum and her husband lost $70,000 to an investment scam that began when Mangum clicked on a Bitcoin mining link posted by a family member (whose account had been hacked) and was contacted by a fraudster posing as an investment coach. Over six months, Mangum made deposits through Bitcoin ATMs and the scammers also created unauthorized Cash App accounts using her personal information obtained from an online investment profile, draining additional funds before she discovered the scheme when attempting to withdraw her purported $159,638 balance. The scammer, believed to be operating from Nigeria, exploited Mangum's information to fraudulently access her bank accounts, resulting in significant
thecyberexpress.com
· 2025-12-08
Malachi Mullings, 31, from Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering and conspiracy related to a fraud network that defrauded over $4.5 million from victims through business email compromise attacks, romance scams, and healthcare benefits fraud, including $310,000 diverted from a state Medicaid program and $260,000 from romance scam victims. Mullings was part of a 10-person conspiracy that caused more than $11.1 million in total losses by targeting Medicare, Medicaid programs, private health insurers, and vulnerable individuals. FBI data shows elder fraud complaints increased 14% in 2023
bbc.com
· 2025-12-08
Clark Hoefnagels created Catch, an AI-powered email filter designed to detect phishing and scam emails, after his grandmother lost $27,000 to a scam in Ontario, Canada. Despite the growing threat of AI-enabled fraud—with reports of AI tools used against banks increasing 84% in 2022—the product has struggled commercially because individuals show little concern about scams even after being victimized, while banks and financial institutions increasingly recognize AI-powered fraud as a significant threat and are investing in AI-based defenses.
theregister.com
· 2025-12-08
Georgia resident Malachi Mullings received a 10-year prison sentence for laundering $4.5 million in proceeds from business email compromise (BEC) attacks targeting healthcare providers and romance scams targeting individuals, including numerous elderly victims, between 2019 and July 2021. Mullings used multiple bank accounts under his company name to conceal the fraud, purchasing luxury items including a Ferrari with stolen funds; one romance scam victim alone lost $260,000. He pleaded guilty to eight charges including money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of a larger scheme involving nine other suspects across Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia that defrauded state Medicaid programs
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Major tech companies including Meta, Match Group, Coinbase, Kraken, Ripple, and Gemini launched the coalition "Tech Against Scams" to combat online fraud across dating apps, social media, and cryptocurrency platforms. Romance scams, social media fraud ($770 million in losses in 2021), investment scams ($3.8 billion in losses in 2022), and "pig butchering" crypto scams have cost consumers billions, prompting these companies to share data and collaborate on detection methods and consumer education to disrupt scammers' activities across multiple platforms.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Malachi Mullings was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for laundering over $4.5 million obtained through romance fraud scams and business email compromise schemes that targeted elderly victims and companies from 2019 to July 2021. Operating under the fake company name "The Mullings Group LLC," Mullings opened 20 bank accounts to conceal fraud proceeds, including $310,000 diverted from a state Medicaid program and $260,000 obtained from an elderly romance scam victim, which he used to purchase luxury items including a Ferrari. The case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice's Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force and involved investigation by
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Southeast Asian cybercrime operations have replaced traditional Indian fraud hotspots, with organized gangs in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos operating "corporate-style" compounds that defrauded Indian victims of Rs 1,775 crore between January-April 2024 through investment scams (Rs 1,420 crore), trading scams (Rs 222 crore), digital arrest scams (Rs 120 crore), and romance scams (Rs 13 crore). Indian nationals are recruited through illegal agents with false job promises, then coerced into perpetrating fraud against fellow citizens via social media and messaging apps, with authorities intervening to save
kolotv.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams targeting seniors have tripled, with scammers building trust over months or years before requesting money for travel, unexpected bills, or gift cards—sometimes totaling tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. One Nevada woman was manipulated into laundering money through gift card purchases after a man she met online professed love and later asked for $10,000. Red flags include rapid declarations of love, moving communication to private platforms to avoid detection, and promises to meet in person that never materialize despite money requests for plane tickets or other expenses.
infosecurity-magazine.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams affect thousands annually, with at least 31% of Americans encountering romance scammers who create fake identities on dating apps to build emotional trust before soliciting money. The average loss per incident reached £6,937 ($8,812) in 2023, with victims aged 65-74 losing the highest amounts (averaging £13,123/$16,670), and women reporting higher average losses than men despite men comprising 52% of victims. Banks play a critical role in detection and prevention through data analysis and fraud prevention technologies, particularly as scammers increasingly use Authorized Push Payment Fraud methods to extract funds from emotionally manipulated victims.
arabnews.pk
· 2025-12-08
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) launched a new "Account Finder" service to help retail banking customers verify account ownership and reduce risks of unauthorized access, impersonation, and suspicious transactions. The initiative is part of SAMA's broader efforts to combat financial fraud in Saudi Arabia, where a joint study with Interpol identified five major types of fraud affecting Arab countries—including investment scams, business email compromise, romance scams, and sextortion—with fraudulent sites receiving over 137,000 daily visits from potential victims.
ghanaweb.com
· 2025-12-08
Emmanuel Quamey, a Ghanaian national, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for laundering approximately $3.3 million in proceeds from romance scams targeting over a dozen vulnerable and elderly U.S. victims between September 2019 and March 2023. The scam involved perpetrators posing as romantic partners online to trick victims into sending money, which Quamey then transferred through multiple bank accounts in the United States and Ghana. He was ordered to forfeit $3.3 million and pay restitution of approximately $3.8 million to the victims.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A 52-year-old newspaper employee in Chennai lost Rs 1.4 lakh to a courier scam on May 20 when a fraudster posing as an international courier company representative claimed a package sent in his name had been seized by customs for containing drugs and contraband, threatening police action and arrest warrants unless he paid bail money. After the scammers continued demanding additional funds, the victim became suspicious, realized the fraud, and filed a police complaint.
greaterkashmir.com
· 2025-12-08
The Indian Embassy in Laos rescued and repatriated 13 Indian workers who were deceived by false employment promises and trapped in illegal work arrangements, bringing the total rescued from Laos to 428; the workers were found in a wood factory and a special economic zone. Indian authorities warn citizens against fraudulent overseas job offers, particularly those involving human trafficking networks that lure victims into cyber scams, money laundering, and cryptocurrency fraud, and advise using only authorized employment channels and conducting background checks on prospective employers in Southeast Asia.
marketrealist.com
· 2025-12-08
Malachi Mullings, 31, from Sandy Springs, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for laundering over $4.5 million stolen through business email compromise (BEC) scams, romance fraud, and healthcare benefits fraud. Mullings opened approximately 20 shell company bank accounts between 2019 and 2021 to launder the proceeds, which he spent on luxury items including a Ferrari purchased with $260,000 fraudulently obtained from an elderly romance scam victim. His criminal network targeted businesses, healthcare programs, and vulnerable elderly individuals across the United States.
wsbtv.com
· 2025-12-08
Malachi Mullings of Sandy Springs was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for laundering over $4.5 million obtained through romance fraud and business email compromise schemes between 2019 and 2021. Mullings opened 20 fraudulent bank accounts to hide proceeds from scams targeting elderly victims and private companies, using stolen funds to purchase luxury items including a Ferrari bought with $260,000 stolen from an elderly romance fraud victim. He was ordered to pay restitution to victims and serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
wsbradio.com
· 2025-12-08
Malachi Mullings, a Sandy Springs man, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for laundering over $4.5 million stolen from romance fraud schemes and business email compromise scams between 2019 and 2021. Mullings operated 20 fraudulent bank accounts under a fake company name to hide proceeds from schemes targeting elderly victims and healthcare programs, using some stolen funds to purchase luxury items including a Ferrari purchased with $260,000 taken from an elderly romance fraud victim. He was ordered to pay restitution and faces three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
thehackernews.com
· 2025-12-08
Malachi Mullings, 31, of Georgia was sentenced to 10 years in prison for laundering over $4.5 million obtained through business email compromise (BEC) schemes targeting healthcare programs and companies, as well as romance scams targeting elderly victims, between 2019 and 2021. Mullings opened 20 fraudulent bank accounts under a fake company name to conceal the proceeds and used funds to purchase luxury items, including a Ferrari bought with $260,000 from a romance scam. The case highlights ongoing efforts to prosecute money launderers facilitating cyber fraud schemes.
news.bloomberglaw.com
· 2025-12-08
Bolanle Odeyale, a Nigerian citizen living in Texas, was ordered to remain in custody pending trial after being accused of helping Nigerian fraudsters launder millions of dollars obtained through romance scams. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals determined she posed a serious flight risk, particularly given an immigration detainer issued against her, and ruled that no release conditions could reasonably ensure her appearance at trial.
oodaloop.com
· 2025-12-08
Malachi Mullings, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for laundering over $4.5 million through business email compromise and romance scams conducted between 2019 and June 2021. Mullings used 20 fraudulent bank accounts under the fake company name "The Mullings Group LLC" to process stolen funds from schemes targeting elderly individuals, healthcare benefit programs, and private companies.
businessinsider.com
· 2025-12-08
Mastercard developed an AI fraud-detection system in partnership with UK banks (Lloyds, NatWest, TSB) to identify authorized-push-payment fraud, where scammers impersonate trusted figures to convince victims to transfer money. The AI system analyzes transaction patterns, account relationships, and suspicious behaviors in real-time to alert banks before fraud occurs, with results suggesting it could prevent an estimated £100 million ($126 million) in fraud losses across the UK banking sector if scaled broadly.
smh.com.au
· 2025-12-08
A Melbourne couple lost approximately $300,000 to a sophisticated investment scam involving fraudulent HSBC representatives in March, recovering only $100,000 months later. The article explores the psychological aftermath of scams, highlighting that victims often experience prolonged shame, guilt, and self-blame despite being targets of crime, with societal attitudes and bank responses frequently exacerbating these emotional impacts. The piece emphasizes that scams cause lasting psychological trauma beyond financial loss and that victim-blaming culture discourages people from speaking about their experiences.
mdjonline.com
· 2025-12-08
Georgia ranks among the top ten states targeted by organized scam operators who extract millions of dollars annually from senior citizens through romance scams, jury duty scams, grandparent scams, and identity theft. As law enforcement catches up to scammers' money laundering methods—which have evolved from cash deposits to gift cards to cryptocurrency ATMs—sophisticated criminals continue adapting by using new untraceable methods like gold bullion to hide stolen funds and avoid detection.
myjoyonline.com
· 2025-12-08
Two Ghanaian nationals, Wigbert Bandie and Khadijah Adam, were arrested in the United States and face charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering for operating romance and advance-fee scams between June 2019 and December 2019. The defendants targeted victims through social media impersonation, with one victim, Richard Coleman from Knoxville, defrauded of $73,550 after being convinced to pay shipping fees for non-existent gold shipments; a third defendant, Mubarak Braimah, remains at large with an FBI warrant issued for his arrest. Pretrial proceedings were scheduled for June
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office, along with Age-Friendly Mecklenburg and AARP-Charlotte, hosted a Walk for Awareness event on June 15, 2024, to highlight World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and increase community recognition of elder exploitation, neglect, and abuse. According to the FBI's 2023 Internet Crimes Report, individuals 60 and older filed 101,068 complaints and sustained $3.4 billion in losses from online fraud, with tech support scams, government impersonation, phishing, and romance scams being particularly prevalent threats to older adults.
spectrumnews1.com
· 2025-12-08
Over 140 million American adults have been victims of fraud according to AARP's Fraud Watch Network. Patricia Kaster lost approximately $1.7 million in a 2023 impersonation scam where fraudsters posed as her bank's fraud department and the FTC, convincing her to liquidate assets and sell her house by falsely accusing her of money laundering. The FTC reported that consumers lost $10 billion to fraud in 2023, and AARP recommends hanging up on unsolicited calls and avoiding providing money or information to unknown callers as key fraud prevention strategies.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
In January 2023, a Massachusetts workers union was defrauded of $6.4 million through a business email compromise (BEC) scheme in which scammers spoofed an investment consulting firm's email address (changing one letter) to request a payment information change. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture action to recover approximately $5.3 million in traced proceeds that were transferred through multiple intermediary accounts in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Nigeria before being seized from seven domestic bank accounts.
wvpublic.org
· 2025-12-08
Federal prosecutors in West Virginia are warning that the state's large elderly population is particularly vulnerable to financial schemes including romance scams and money laundering related to drug and human trafficking, citing West Virginia's older demographics and trusting culture as risk factors. Two U.S. Attorneys are organizing a statewide conference in June to educate financial professionals on recognizing suspicious activity and identifying signs of elder abuse, trafficking, and fraud.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont, partnering with federal law enforcement agencies, conducted outreach events at senior centers in advance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15, 2024) to educate older adults about financial fraud and elder abuse. The outreach highlighted prevalent scams targeting seniors including government imposter schemes, tech support fraud, romance scams, grandparent scams, and lottery schemes, while emphasizing that elder abuse remains often overlooked and underreported.
patch.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans lost over $10 billion to scams last year, with organized criminal networks operating from India and Nigeria using US "cash mules" to launder money through untraceable Bitcoin accounts. Seniors with landlines are particularly targeted through various schemes including romance scams (with victims losing up to $2.5 million), fake emergency calls from supposed grandchildren, phishing emails, suspicious text messages, and fake billing notifications. The article advises never sharing personal or financial information with unsolicited callers, texts, or emails, and recommends blocking suspicious contacts, verifying charges directly with banks, and reporting fraud to email service abuse addresses.
elliptic.co
· 2025-12-08
AI-enhanced scams are emerging as a potential threat in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, though not yet widespread. Criminals are exploiting AI technology through deepfake videos of celebrities and public figures to promote fake crypto investment schemes, and by creating fraudulent "AI-related" tokens designed for pump-and-dump schemes and rug-pulls that defraud investors. Elliptic released a horizon scanning report identifying five typologies of AI-enabled crypto crimes and recommends industry stakeholders implement best practices and develop strategies to prevent these threats from becoming mainstream.
abc.net.au
· 2025-12-08
A scam-baiter named Jim Browning exposed a cryptocurrency investment scam operation based in Georgia, Eastern Europe, that targets victims worldwide by posing as financial advisors and recovery services. The scammers use fake celebrity endorsements and fraudulent websites to lure victims, then display fake cryptocurrency portfolios to convince them their money is growing, with some victims—including an Australian man Browning monitored in real-time—losing thousands of dollars. Australians reported losing over $2.74 billion to scams in the previous year, with attackers particularly targeting older adults with retirement savings.
the-sun.com
· 2025-12-08
**Romance Scam Warning Signs and Prevention**
Romance scammers employ multiple tactics to defraud victims on dating platforms, with key red flags including premature declarations of love, avoidance of video calls, requests for money or financial information, excuses to delay in-person meetings, and suspiciously tailored profiles. Protection strategies include keeping social media private, using strong passwords, installing anti-virus software, being cautious on public Wi-Fi, and monitoring one's digital footprint for personal information vulnerable to exploitation.
bbc.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
A cybercrime gang operating in Zambia was convicted and sentenced in Lusaka Magistrates Court, with 22 Chinese nationals and one Cameroonian receiving jail terms ranging from 7 to 11 years for orchestrating a sophisticated internet fraud syndicate that targeted victims across Singapore, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. The gang members, who worked for the Chinese-run Golden Top Support Services company, used deceptive online conversations via WhatsApp and Telegram, spoofed phone numbers, and recruited Zambian call-center agents to defraud unsuspecting mobile and bank account users; they were each fined $1,500-$3,000