Fraud Articles and Videos - Page 1

FBI Warns Of New Twist In Counterfeit Check Scheme Counterfeit check schemes involving the wiring of money to a bank account overseas have been frequently reported to the FBI. The FBI now warns of a new twist in counterfeit check schemes where the fraudulent client emails as an an ex-wife in an…

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has reported an increase in mystery/secret shopper schemes. Legitimate secret shopper programs exist, but fraudsters are taking advantage of those unaware of schemes involving counterfeit check cashing or identity theft.

Scams: Haitian Scams Abound - FBI Issues Haitian Scam Alert The FBI continues to remind the public to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before giving contributions to anyone soliciting donations on behalf of Haitian victims. Solicitations can originate from e-mails, websites…

Debt overload or overboard? A small business owner is facing off with the recession. On one hand, he has to refinance his debt to stay afloat. On the other hand, navigating the complicated waters of small business loans has him confused. A miracle phone call seems to answer all of his needs and…

Scams from Nigeria are targeting apartment rentals in South Carolina, Illinois, Colorado and California. You need to be careful to avoid these Nigerian apartment rentals scams. Use common sense and do your due diligence before sending any information to third parties you do not know. Once you become…

How do you know if you're the victim of a real estate fraud, a housing scam or mortgage fraud? A reader listed his house for sale with an investor who was also a Realtor. The investor/Realtor transferred ownership of the homeowner's property to himself using a quit claim deed, but left the homeowner…

In a new twist on the Nigerian email scam, online rental ads are soliciting potential renters to wire money for several months rent, in exchange for super low rent rates. A scam alert from the FBI warns against the latest Nigerian scam. Online rentals found through sites like Craigslist are…

In its 2008 survey of mortgage fraud, the FBI concluded there is a strong correlation between mortgage fraud and distressed real estate markets. Indeed, some of the states with the highest levels of mortgage fraud also had the highest levels of foreclosures. But new mortgage fraud scams emerged in…

Mortgage fraud and mortgage scams increased dramatically in 2008, as homeowners found themselves pushed into mortgages they couldn't afford, or lenders realized they had approved loans based on false premises. The survey found that mortgage fraud complaints surged in 2008. At least 63 percent of all…

As the economy continues its downturn, reverse mortgages are on the rise. Reverse mortgages allow senior citizens to tap into their home’s equity and receive monthly payments for a lender. To be eligible for a reverse mortgage you must be aged 62 or older and own your own home or have a small…

Scam artists not only steal money from the people they're targeting, but they also create negative impressions around the whole industry or group of people they're impersonating.

The latest scam alert from the FBI revolves around scam artists using a telephone relay service to charge money to a…

A new scam alert from the FBI is targeting auto shops via the phone relay system. This scam asks businesses to charge repairs and shipping costs to a stolen credit card, asking to wire the excess funds back to the scam artist. After the money has already been wired, the business finds out the credit…

Today on the Ilyce Glink Show there was a lot of news to tackle. Consumer confidence, the number that shows how the public is feeling about the economy, rose to a nine-month high, even though gas prices are rising again. According to a new analysis by msnbc.com and the Investigative Reporting…

Fraud, scams and jobs were top of mind today on the Ilyce Glink Show.

If you're desperately looking for a job, especially a job you can do from home, you may easily become a victim of a money mule job scam, fraud investigators say. A money mule job is one where you're hired to receive hundreds of packages and reship them to places in Eastern Europe. You may or may not…

Today on the Ilyce Glink Show the topics were fraud, scams and jobs. Ilyce took a call from a listener wanting to know if a work-from-home offer was too good to be true. Ilyce thought it sounded like a scam, and another caller, a fraud investigator, confirmed it. We also had several calls on how to…

As that April 15 tax deadline edges closer and closer, the IRS has released a list of top tax scams to watch out for. Whether you've already sent off your return or you're one of the last minute filers, make sure you don't get trapped by any of these scams:

Beware of IRS’ 2009 “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams…

While writing bad checks is illegal, it might be difficult to get the police involved. If you’ve been written a check that has bounced, you may be able to file a report for fraud. The other option to go after a bad check-writer is small claims court.

Issuing checks from an account that you know doesn’t have the funds to cover it is fraud. An employee at a restaurant has been battling her employer, who issues payroll checks that cannot be cashed. Writing bad checks is illegal, and this employer should be reported for his bad practices.

Worried about identity theft? Turns out you can likely prevent it yourself, rather than hiring a firm who offers identity theft prevention services.

The Consumer Federation of America recently released an analysis of 16 firms that sell identity theft prevention services. The Web sites of the identity…

A mortgage company offers to refinance a home with other debt into a new, bi-monthly, 15-year mortgage, but this offer could be coming from a predatory lender. Predatory lenders offer to roll many loans into one so that it is completely unaffordable to the owner. The loan from the predatory lender…

Two consumer groups, the Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer Law Center are calling for the federal government to regulate tax refund anticipation loans (RALs) because of their extremely high interest rates (50 to 500 percent generally) and excessive fees.

Tax preparation…

When luxury homes are put on the market, bogus home buyers may come out of the woodwork and commit real estate fraud just to take a look at your house. Ilyce recommends methods to prevent real estate fraud and having bogus home buyers walk through your house. In more wealthy neighborhoods, some…

It's illegal to hold a lottery to sell a house, even though with the financial crisis it might seem like a good option. The reason it's illegal to use a lottery to sell a home is that it could lead to fraud -- it's hard to know who owns the home, who won the home, who has the right to give away the…