HOUSTON, TX—In 2021, some 24,000 victims across the United States reported losing approximately $1 billion to romance scams.1 It’s likely that many more losses went unreported. Romance scams occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust. The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship …
$1 Billion in Losses Reported by Victims of Romance Scams Read More »
As the warning from the FBI states, the public should not be surprised by an increase of romance scams before Valentine’s Day. The nature of the holiday itself lends to this increase, with predators understanding how to exploit human emotions associated with this day. The Private Investigation Services Group in Bluffton, SC, encourages those who …
FBI warns of romance scams ahead of Valentine’s Day Read More »
The Department of Justice, FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and five other federal law enforcement agencies announced the completion of the fourth annual Money Mule Initiative, which targeted networks of individuals through which international fraudsters obtain proceeds of fraud schemes. These individuals, sometimes referred to as money mules, receive money from fraud victims and forward the …
U.S. Law Enforcement Targets Fraud Facilitators, Doubling Last Year’s Enforcement Read More »
This recent FBI Bulletin regarding romance fraud sadly calls to our attention those who continue to prey on the vulnerable in our society. This crime, laughable to some, continues because it regrettably works, and works well. According to the Federal Trade Commission, reported romance scams reached a record $304 million in losses in 2020. What’s …
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Atlanta Man For His Role In Romance Fraud Scheme Read More »
Charleston, South Carolina — Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2020 Internet Crime Report, South Carolinians lost more than $30 million to cyber criminals in the past year. Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart urges the public to remain vigilant of cybercrimes, so they do not fall victim. “Cybercrimes …
LOS ANGELES – A Santa Monica man was sentenced today to 96 months in federal prison for deceiving women he met online and elsewhere into investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into his sham companies, and then spending their money on himself. Antonio Mariot Wilson, a.k.a. “Brice Carrington” and “Dr. Tony Mariot,” 58, was sentenced by …
It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track to the growing body of cases involving Internet-based “romance fraud.” Sadly, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reports that “romance fraud is the seventh-most reported scam” (IC3 Public Service Announcement, 8/15/2019). While your chances of being targeted are statistically remote, it is clear that scammers are …
Albany Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy in Connection with Romance Scams Read More »
PORTLAND—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams joined Attorney General William P. Barr, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, and Chief Postal Inspector Gary R. Barksdale today in announcing the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history. This year, prosecutors charged more than 400 defendants, far surpassing the 260 defendants charged in cases as part of …
This recent FBI Valentine’s Day Bulletin about Romance Fraud is yet another reminder of the perils of online dating. It provides useful guidelines and common sense precautions to help avoid an increasingly sophisticated criminal element that grows in complexity and resourcefulness. Clearly, most of the online opportunities for social interaction are legitimate, and will therefore withstand scrutiny by their users. …
This article by Alyssa Stoney, at the Arizona Republic reports, a Seattle man said he was scammed over the phone by someone who called him and said they had kidnapped his daughter, an ASU student, and he needed to send $10,000 or else they would shoot her.” Luis Harris, 60, “told The Arizona Republic the …