Chinese Man Illegally in the U.S. Indicted on 309 Felony Charges in Ohio for Role in Gift Card Counterfeiting Scheme

Gift Cards

A Chinese man who entered the U.S. illegally has been indicted by a Coshocton County grand jury on 309 felony charges related to a gift card counterfeiting scheme, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.

Ming Xue, 32, of Hunan, Fujian – a province on the southeastern coast of China – faces 308 counts of counterfeiting and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, according to Yost’s office.

Read the full story

Tennessee AG Warns Residents of New Facebook Marketplace Scam

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti warned Tenessee residents on Wednesday of a scam business that utilizes Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) Commissioner Carter Lawrence’s forged signature through a Facebook Marketplace listing.

As part of the scam, according to Skrmetii’s office, a listing is placed on Facebook Marketplace for a nonexistent tractor for sale.

Read the full story

Attorney General Mayes Issues Warning over Sports Betting Scams

As many Arizonans prepare for the first Super Bowl in the state since 2015, Attorney General Kris Mayes offers a warning about sports betting scams.

“While many Arizonans participate in legal sports betting, it is important to remember there are scammers out there trying to intercept your money and your personal information,” Mayes said. “If you bet on the Super Bowl, or any sporting event, make sure you are gambling on sports and not on whether an illegal sportsbook will steal your winnings.”

Read the full story

Florida AG Moody Issues Another Warning About Price Gouging, Disaster Scams in Aftermath of Hurricane Ian

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is issuing another warning to Floridians to be aware of fraudsters attempting to take advantage of those impacted by Hurricane Ian.

“Hurricane Ian devastated Floridians, destroying homes and leaving thousands without food, water or electricity,” Moody said. “Rebuilding will take months or longer – creating an inexhaustible demand for qualified contractors and debris removal services.

Read the full story

Florida AG, FTC Taking Legal Action to Shut Down COVID-19 Scam Targeting Minority-Owned Small Businesses

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Federal Trade Commission have taken legal action to shut down what they say was a fraudulent scheme perpetrated by a company targeting minority-owned small businesses.

They filed a joint complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida where Judge Marcia Morales Howard issued a temporary restraining order against the company, preventing it from doing any more business.

Read the full story

Fraud Scheme Leads Chinese National to Plead Guilty in Georgia

several $100 bills

Jianjie Liu, a Chinese national arrested in Georgia in 2019, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, amid an indictment that included money laundering conspiracy, nine counts of money laundering, and access device fraud charges

According to a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Liu targeted victims in several states, raking in more than $150,000 in various schemes.

Read the full story

Mysterious Seeds Arriving Across the U.S. and U.K.

Unidentified seeds, seemingly from China, have arrived unsolicited across the country. Agricultural officials are asking residents not to plant these seeds. Stating that they may be from invasive, destructive, or otherwise dangerous plants. Officials in at least 27 states have reported unsolicited packages of seeds delivered to residents. Similar packages have begun arriving throughout the U.K.

Jane Rupp, a Better Business Bureau representative, believes that these shipments could be part of a brushing scam, where online sellers ship large quantities of cheap merchandise to increase their overall ratings and visibility by creating fake reviews in the recipients name, reports Fox. Similar cases were reported in late 2019 with Americans receiving unordered, low cost, and even empty packages.

Read the full story

AUDIT: Dickson County Workers Duped by Phishing Scheme for $60,000 in Taxpayer Cash

Tennessee Star

A thief duplicated an email address belonging to Dickson County’s director of schools and then duped the school system’s staff into wiring $20,000 in taxpayer money, an audit says. Someone pulled the same stunt with the Dickson County Mayor’s Office a few days later, in April of last year, according to Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson’s audit, which was released this week. Auditors called it a phishing scheme. No one at the county mayor’s office immediately returned a request for comment Tuesday. Director of Schools Danny Weeks told Tennessee Watchdog that law enforcement agencies, including members of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, have yet to catch the culprit. “Last I heard, Dickson County law enforcement thought it was someone from outside the country,” Weeks said, adding what happened was “a perfect storm of events coming together from someone with crafty and evil intentions.” “I was out of town the day it happened, and it was the last thing that happened on a Friday afternoon. My business manager assumed she got an email from her boss, and you do what your boss asks you to do. If it were something that happened on a normal day in the office, she would have…

Read the full story