Category: Fraud

Surge in UK Fraud a National Security Threat, Warn Banks

LONDON—A surge in fraud attacks on consumers since the pandemic has become a ‘national security threat’ for Britain requiring government-coordinated action across industries, banking industry lobby group UK Finance has warned. Financial fraud has rocketed during the pandemic as more consumers shop online and try digital banking and investing. Criminals stole 754 million pounds ($1.03…


Retired Rancho Cucamonga Couple Received More Than 50 EDD Letters

A Rancho Cucamonga, California, couple that does not qualify for unemployment benefits has received over 50 Employment Development Department (EDD) letters in the past four months. Tom and Andrea Gray, a retired couple residing at their home in Rancho Cucamonga for more than forty years, started receiving EDD letters at the beginning of the year….


Man Sentenced to 12 Years in $200 Million Phone-Fraud Scheme

SEATTLE—A Pakistan resident has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a conspiracy to “unlock” phones from AT&T’s network, a scheme the company says cost it more than $200 million. Muhammad Fahd, 35, of Karachi, recruited an employee of an AT&T call center in Bothell, Washington, via Facebook in 2012, and began bribing that…


Chicago Woman Charged With Fraud in Death Certificate Scheme

CHICAGO—A Chicago woman has been charged with obtaining dozens of young homicide victims’ death certificates and using them to defraud the government out of thousands of dollars in tax refunds and coronavirus stimulus payments. Katrina Pierce faces federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to a criminal complaint made public Thursday. A…


Former Amazon Employee Pleads Guilty to Involvement in Marketplace Fraud Ring

By Katherine Anne Long From The Seattle Times A former Amazon employee has pleaded guilty to involvement in a bribery scheme that helped some sellers on Amazon’s Marketplace platform for third-party merchants boost their sales and attack competitors. Rohit Kadimisetty, who after leaving Amazon in 2015 launched a consulting firm for third-party sellers, admitted Wednesday that…


Unemployment Fraud Scrutinized Ahead of Debate Over Renewing Federal Benefits

Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate are demanding a federal investigation into unemployment benefits money lost to fraudsters, calling it the “greatest theft of American tax dollars in our nation’s history.” The members sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office, asking the federal oversight group to investigate the fraud and arguing structural issues…


Tech Exec Sentenced to 2 Years for $1.8 Million COVID Fraud

SEATTLE—A Washington state tech executive has been sentenced to two years in prison after fraudulently obtaining nearly $1.8 million in federal COVID-19 disaster relief loans. Mukund Mohan, of Clyde Hill, previously worked for Microsoft and Amazon and was making more than $200,000 a year as the chief of technology for the Canadian e-commerce company BuildDirect…


Millions Stolen From Health Fund Spent on Adult Website

TAMPA, Fla.—A former accounts manager for a nonprofit affiliated with the University of South Florida’s medical school has pleaded guilty to embezzling almost $13 million, spending most of it on an adult website with some of it coming back to him. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Ralph Puglisi, 59, is facing up to 20…


Labor Department Allots $240 Million to Fight ‘Terrifying’ Level of Unemployment Insurance Fraud

The Labor Department is giving $240 million to states for measures like beefing up cybersecurity defense and identity verification in a bid to fight an explosion of unemployment insurance fraud. The move, announced in an Aug. 12 press release, is part of a broader thrust to modernize the unemployment insurance system, the shortcomings of which…


Colorado Man Sentenced in Major Green Energy Fraud

An Aurora, Colorado man was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $37 million restitution by United States District Judge Joel Slomsky for operating a $54 million Ponzi scheme in one of the largest green energy frauds in U.S. history. Wayde McKelvy, 59, was convicted in…