Currency Scam

Ebola fundraisers scam

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Better Business Bureaus (BBBs) are warning consumers that several Ebola fundraising page on GoFundMe was created to raise donations for Amber Joy Vinson, the nurse who traveled from Dallas to Cleveland and is currently being treated in Atlanta for Ebola. Several BBBs across the U.S have also reported on phone solicitation from an organization supposedly raising money to help with Ebola.<br />
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There are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or drugs to prevent or treat Ebola. Although there are experimental Ebola vaccines and treatments under development, these investigational products are in the early stages of product development, have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness, and the supply is very limited.<br />
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<b>What is Ebola fundraisers scam</b><br />
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You may get urgent appeals for aid by phone or mail, by e-mail, on websites, or even in person, claiming that they want to raise donations to assist Ebola victims or those out of work due to quarantines imposed after exposure to the virus. At this moment, there are more than 100 <b><span style="color: blue;">GoFundMe.com</span></b> pages raising money for various Ebola campaigns. </div>
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BBBs also reported on phone solicitation from an organization supposedly raising money to help with Ebola. When pressed, the caller says he is from a famous charity’s chapter in the Bronx, New York. BBB Metro New York confirmed that no such branch exists and that the solicitation is likely a scam.</div>
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<b>How the scam work?</b><br />
1. They will try to make you feel an emotional connection between you and the Ebola patients. They will tell you a story about the victim that makes you think they are close friends/family with the victims.<br />
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2. Some of the fund claimed that the Ebola Victim family authorized their effort to collect donation and there is no legitimate source to confirm about it.<br />
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3. Most of the scammers are using GoFundMe pages to raised the money for the Ebola Victim but several bogus organizations have also been reported making a call claiming that they want to raise donations to assist Ebola victims.<br />
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<b>How to Protect Yourself?</b><br />
If you’re asked to make a charitable donation, <a href="http://www.bbb.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Better Business Bureaus</a> (BBBs) shared these tips:<br />
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1. Be alert for charities that seem to have sprung up overnight in connection with current events. “Look alike” websites resembling legitimate charitable organizations and international aid efforts are popping up. Check out the charity with the <b><span style="color: blue;">Give.org</span></b>, BBB’s national charity review organization.</div>
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2. Donate to charities you know and trust. You want to find a charity with a proven track record. The CDC Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Congress, has a Global Disaster Response Fund that supports the CDC’s work in West Africa.</div>
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3. Ask if a caller is a paid fundraiser, who they work for, and what percentage of your donation goes to the charity and to the fundraiser. If you don’t get a clear answer — or if you don’t like the answer you get — consider donating to a different organization.</div>
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4. Don’t give out financial information — including your credit card or bank account number — unless you know the charity is reputable.</div>
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5. Never click on links or open attachments in emails unless you know who sent it and what it is. Opening attachments — even in emails that seem to be from friends or family — can install malware on your computer.</div>
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6. Verify the origins of any email or text messages soliciting donations for Ebola aid efforts.</div>
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7. Don’t assume that charity messages posted on social media are legitimate or have been vetted. Research the charitable organization yourself.</div>
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8. When texting to donate, first confirm the number with the source. The charge will show up on your mobile phone bill, but be aware that text donations are not immediate. </div>
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9. Depending on the text message service used by the charity, it can take as much as 90 days for the charity to receive the funds.</div>
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10. Never send cash: you can’t be sure the organization will receive your donation, and you won’t have a record for tax purposes.<br />
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Ebola fundraisers scam

Better Business Bureaus (BBBs) are warning consumers that several Ebola fundraising page on GoFundMe was created to raise donations for Amb...

Government Grants Scam

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The scammer will tell you that  you will qualify to receive a “free grant” to pay for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses, or unpaid bills. It may be done through an ad or from a phone call supposedly from a "Federal Grants Administration" or other “government” agency with an official sounding name. </div>
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<i>“Because you pay your income taxes on time, you have been awarded a free $12,500 government grant! To get your grant, simply give us your checking account information, and we will direct-deposit the grant into your bank account!”</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaPIN54ZSd8/VD5oL5Ee7dI/AAAAAAAAQaI/iKqb2Q8PhpM/s1600/Government%2BGrants%2BScam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Grants" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaPIN54ZSd8/VD5oL5Ee7dI/AAAAAAAAQaI/iKqb2Q8PhpM/s1600/Government%2BGrants%2BScam.jpg" title="Government Grants Scam" /></a></div>
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<b>What is Government Grant Scams</b><br />
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You'll received an email or a phone called from a “Federal Grants Administration” or other "government agency" telling you that you're one of the lucky Americans chosen to receive a free grant from US Government. Some scam artists advertise “free grants” in the classifieds, inviting readers to call a toll-free number for more information. To receive that grant you need to give your credit card or bank account information. In some cases, they said that you could use a <a href="http://www.currencyscam.com/2014/01/green-dot-moneypak-scams.html">Green Dot MoneyPak Card</a> with some amount of money to activated that card.</div>
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<b>How the scam work?</b><br />
Grant scammers generally follow a script: <br />
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1. They congratulate you on your eligibility, </div>
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2. Then ask for your checking account information so they can “deposit your grant directly into your account,” or cover a one-time “processing fee.” </div>
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3. The caller may even reassure you that you can get a refund if you’re not satisfied.</div>
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<b>How to Protect Yourself?</b><br />
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The <a href="http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0113-government-grant-scams" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Federal Trade Commission</a> (FTC) says following a few basic rules can keep consumers from losing money to these “government grant” scams:</div>
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1. Don’t give out your bank account information to anyone you don’t know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don’t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.</div>
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2. Don’t pay any money for a “free” government grant. If you have to pay money to claim a “free” government grant, it isn’t really free. A real government agency won’t ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded — or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.</div>
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3. Look-alikes aren’t the real thing. Just because the caller says he’s from the “Federal Grants Administration” doesn’t mean that he is. There is no such government agency. Take a moment to check the blue pages in your telephone directory to bear out your hunch — or not.</div>
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4. Phone numbers can deceive. Some con artists use Internet technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. Although it may look like they’re calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.</div>
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5. Take control of the calls you receive. If you want to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive, place your telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. To register online, visitdonotcall.gov. To register by phone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to register.</div>
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6. File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online, or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.</div>
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Government Grants Scam

The scammer will tell you that you will qualify to receive a “free grant” to pay for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses...

Three Hebrew Boys Scam

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The scammer called themselves the <b>"3 Hebrew Boys,"</b> drawing their nickname from a Biblical account of three men who survived being tossed into a fiery furnace because of their faith. In their pitch, the men told investors they had been through the flames of crushing debt and survived, thanks to their secret investments and the power of God.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z5MHrh-OZR4/VD0pugqzZ7I/AAAAAAAAQZ4/cO0Tgo2XToc/s1600/Three%2BHebrew%2BBoys%2BScam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Three Hebrew Boys" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z5MHrh-OZR4/VD0pugqzZ7I/AAAAAAAAQZ4/cO0Tgo2XToc/s1600/Three%2BHebrew%2BBoys%2BScam.jpg" title="Joseph Brunson, Tim McQueen and Tony Pough-Three Hebrew Boys. Picture by fraudtalk.blogspot.com" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Hebrew Boys-picture by <a href="http://fraudtalk.blogspot.com/2009/11/south-carolina-men-known-as-3-hebrew.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fraud Talk</a></td></tr>
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The Three Hebrew Boys—Tony Pough, age 48; Joseph Brunson, age 48; and Timothy McQueen, age 53, formerly of Columbia, South Carolina, all currently incarcerated—were sentenced in December 2010 to the highest fraud sentences in the history of this federal district after being convicted of masterminding an $82 million Ponzi scheme. Brunson and McQueen each received 27 years’ imprisonment, and Pough received 30 years’ imprisonment.</div>
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<b>How the scam work</b><br />
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The three men traveled to churches and other gatherings across the Southeast and spoke to soldiers near military outposts, preaching how faith and an investment in what they said were foreign currencies would at least double their money, wipe out credit card debt and pay off mortgages in months.</div>
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The Three Hebrew Boys who operated variously as the <b><i>"3 Hewbrew Boys LLC,"</i></b> and <b><i>"Capital Consortium Group, Inc."</i></b> promised massive returns based on investment in the foreign currency exchange market, or FOREX. For a contribution of a few thousand dollars, investors were supposed to have their homes, cars, college tuition, credit card bills, and other financial obligations paid off. Instead, the Three Hebrew Boys used some of the incoming money from new investors to pay their outstanding obligations. </div>
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<b>Three Hebrew Boys convicted in November 2009</b><br />
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Brunson, Pough, and McQueen were convicted in November 2009 of the 58 counts they were charged with, including conspiracy, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349; mail fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341; interstate transportation of stolen goods, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2314; and money laundering, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957.</div>
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Investors are getting back some of the money they entrusted to a trio, A federal judge appointed Ashmore, a Greenville attorney, to round up and sell off assets belonging to the 3 men. In May 2012, the first allotment of $19 million was distributed to more than 4,000 people who said they were fleeced by the trio. </div>
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For further information regarding payments to victims and the status of the restitution, consult the receiver’s website at www.3hbreceiver.com.<br />
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Three Hebrew Boys Scam

The scammer called themselves the "3 Hebrew Boys," drawing their nickname from a Biblical account of three men who survived bein...

Liberty Reserve Founder Extradited to USA

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Arthur Budovsky a 40-year-old Costa Rican national and former US citizen, accused of being the “principal founder” of the Rica Liberty Reserve Extradited to USA, he arrived in New York yesterday afternoon and will be arraigned before US district Judge Denise Cote on Tuesday. He will be charges related to setting up the alternative digital currency used by criminals around the world to launder illegal profits, accused of laundering more than US$6 billion (RM19.542 billion) for criminals between 2006 and 2013.</div>
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The news comes two weeks after Maxim Chukharev, Liberty’s head of technology, pleaded guilty in New York federal court to conspiring to operate an illegal unlicensed money transmitting business.</div>
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Budovsky and Chukharev were among seven people charged in May 2013 when federal authorities announced they had shut down what was described as one of the world’s biggest money laundering schemes.</div>
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Three others have pleaded guilty in the investigation.<br />
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The digital exchange mechanism, which allowed depositors to mask their identities, was similar to bitcoin and other digital currencies.</div>
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Liberty Reserve’s principals were arrested in a round-up last year in Costa Rica, Spain and New York, sealing the fate of a company that had been one of the most successful in the popular but increasingly scrutinized world of unofficial banking and virtual currencies.</div>
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The indictment accused Budovsky and his partners of creating a firm that masqueraded as a convenient and legitimate money transfer system.</div>
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Before being shut down, Liberty Reserve had more than a million users worldwide, including more than 200,000 in the United States.</div>
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The digital currency facilitated the laundering of funds from credit card fraud, identity theft, investment fraud, computer hacking, narcotics trafficking, and other crimes, according to officials.</div>
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The probe involved law enforcement in 17 countries and is believed to be the largest money laundering prosecution in history, prosecutors said.</div>
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“Now, thanks to the cooperative efforts of our law enforcement partners here and in Spain, Arthur Budovsky has been apprehended and will face justice in an American courtroom,” Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said.</div>
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<a href="http://www.currencyscam.com/2014/01/liberty-reserve-founder-arrested.html">Budovsky was arrested in May 2013 at a Madrid airport</a>, during a stopover on a flight from Morocco to Costa Rica.</div>
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He fought extradition arguing he deserves the right to return to Costa Rica, where he obtained citizenship by marrying a snack vendor.</div>
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Budovsky has denied committing any crimes.<br />
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His lawyer has said Budovsky founded Liberty Reserve in 2006, then sold it in 2007 and remained only a “technical adviser” until 2009. — AFP</div>
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Liberty Reserve Founder Extradited to USA

Arthur Budovsky a 40-year-old Costa Rican national and former US citizen, accused of being the “principal founder” of the Rica Liberty Rese...