Trinity Mount Ministries

Showing posts with label scam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scam. Show all posts

Thursday, August 9, 2012

FBI - New Internet Scam:





New Internet Scam

‘Ransomware’ Locks Computers, Demands Payment
08/09/12
There is a new “drive-by” virus on the Internet, and it often carries a fake message—and fine—purportedly from the FBI.
“We’re getting inundated with complaints,” said Donna Gregory of the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), referring to the virus known as Reveton ransomware, which is designed to extort money from its victims.
Reveton is described as drive-by malware because unlike many viruses—which activate when users open a file or attachment—this one can install itself when users simply click on a compromised website. Once infected, the victim’s computer immediately locks, and the monitor displays a screen stating there has been a violation of federal law.
The bogus message goes on to say that the user’s Internet address was identified by the FBI or the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section as having been associated with child pornography sites or other illegal online activity. To unlock their machines, users are required to pay a fine using a prepaid money card service.
“Some people have actually paid the so-called fine,” said the IC3’s Gregory, who oversees a team of cyber crime subject matter experts. (The IC3 was established in 2000 as a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. It gives victims an easy way to report cyber crimes and provides law enforcement and regulatory agencies with a central referral system for complaints.)
“While browsing the Internet a window popped up with no way to close it,” one Reveton victim recently wrote to the IC3. “The window was labeled FBI and said I was in violation of one of the following: illegal use of downloaded media, under-age porn viewing, or computer-use negligence. It listed fines and penalties for each and directed me to pay $200 via a MoneyPak order. Instructions were given on how to load the card and make the payment. The page said if the demands were not met, criminal charges would be filed and my computer would remain locked on that screen.”
The Reveton virus, used by hackers in conjunction with Citadel malware—a software delivery platform that can disseminate various kinds of computer viruses—first came to the attention of the FBI in 2011. The IC3 issued a warning on its website in May 2012. Since that time, the virus has become more widespread in the United States and internationally. Some variants of Reveton can even turn on computer webcams and display the victim’s picture on the frozen screen.
“We are getting dozens of complaints every day,” Gregory said, noting that there is no easy fix if your computer becomes infected. “Unlike other viruses,” she explained, “Reveton freezes your computer and stops it in its tracks. And the average user will not be able to easily remove the malware.”
The IC3 suggests the following if you become a victim of the Reveton virus:
  • Do not pay any money or provide any personal information.
  • Contact a computer professional to remove Reveton and Citadel from your computer.
  • Be aware that even if you are able to unfreeze your computer on your own, the malware may still operate in the background. Certain types of malware have been known to capture personal information such as user names, passwords, and credit card numbers through embedded keystroke logging programs.
  • File a complaint and look for updates about the Reveton virus on the IC3 website.
Resources

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The FBI - Surrogacy Scam - San Diego, California:

Surrogacy Scam
Played on Emotions of Vulnerable Victims
09/13/11
Bassinet 
It’s a shocking tale.
Three women recently pled guilty in San Diego, admitting to taking part in a scheme to illegally create an inventory of babies to sell to unwitting would-be parents for fees of between $100,000 and $150,000 each.


The three took advantage of couples who desperately wanted children, offering them seemingly legitimate surrogacy situations. They also took advantage of women recruited as “gestational carriers” to carry pregnancies to term after having embryos transferred to their uteruses.
The defendants in this case included two lawyers who specialized in reproductive law: Theresa Erickson, a well-known California attorney, and Hilary Neiman, who operated an adoption/surrogacy agency in Maryland. The third conspirator was Carla Chambers of Nevada, who served as the “surrogacy facilitator.” Together, they circumvented surrogacy regulations that say contracts between surrogates and intended parents must be executed before a pregnancy occurs…and lied to surrogates, intended parents, and the California family court.



Tips to Avoid
Surrogacy Schemes

- Do your due diligence to find out the average costs of surrogacy services (there should be no “facilitator” fees).

- Make sure you have a signed agreement in place before the start of any medical tests or procedures.
 - Be leery if you’re offered a last-minute surrogacy arrangement and are told the original intended parents changed their minds (that rarely happens).
 - If at all possible, work with a local attorney or agency that you can meet with in person.  
 - Ask lots of questions…about the process, about financial arrangements, about the surrogates or biological parents…until you’re completely satisfied.  
- If you still don’t feel quite right about it, find another attorney or agency that you are comfortable with.
Here’s how the scam worked:
Chambers admitted visiting adoption/surrogacy-themed online chat rooms and forums in search of surrogates and parents. Erickson and Neiman also used their own sterling reputations to legitimize the scheme.  
Surrogates were made to travel to Ukraine in Eastern Europe to become implanted with embryos derived from anonymous donors—Chambers usually made all the arrangements—with the promise that they would be compensated by the intended parents. The women were led to believe that they were participating in legal surrogacy arrangements and that there was a waiting list of potential parents for the babies. They also had to agree to give birth in California.

They were promised quick matches with intended parents, but the co-conspirators usually waited until the second or even third trimester of the pregnancies before seeking parents. Neiman and Erickson then drafted contracts between the surrogates and intended parents, well after the time frame required by law.
The hopeful couples were told the unborn babies were the result of legitimate surrogacy arrangements, but the original intended parents had backed out. They were offered the opportunity to “assume” the non-existent surrogacy agreement. The parents would hand over between $100,000 and $150,000 to the defendants, but less than half of that went to the surrogate—Erickson, Neiman, and Chambers pocketed the rest.

The defendants typically used the Internet to recruit, solicit, and communicate with surrogates and intended parents. Most of the surrogates and parents lived outside of California. 

One of the most critical aspects of the scheme involved Erickson filing fraudulent documents in California court stating that a surrogacy agreement had been in place from the start and asking for what’s called a “pre-birth judgment” that would establish parental rights. That way, under California law, the names of the intended parents could be placed on the birth certificate when the baby was born.  

The scam was uncovered when one of the surrogates, nearly seven months pregnant, was worried that parents hadn’t been found for the baby she was carrying. She contacted a lawyer, who then contacted the FBI’s San Diego office.
Resources:
- Press release