[Master "Scams" Thread] The SCAM Report [merged threads]

[TBoneTX 45,014]

6 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Maybe it would be better to put this in the Off Topic area to reach a wider audience since many stay away from CEHST.

The "2 Michigan women" thread is already in Off Topic; do you mean the current "SCAM Report" thread?

[Dashinka 24,364]

1 hour ago, TBoneTX said:

The "2 Michigan women" thread is already in Off Topic; do you mean the current "SCAM Report" thread?

I am suggesting merging the two into the Off Topic forum.  It is not a bad idea for people to be able to list scams that are out there, and Off Topic might reach a few more folks than here in CEHST.

[TBoneTX 45,014]

By request, "The SCAM Report" is merged with the "2 Michigan Women" scam thread to form a master "scam" thread in the Off Topic forum.

[Dashinka 24,364]

Attorney Alleged To Have Embezzled Up To $282 Million From Clients In Purported Debt Resolution Scam

 

A Southern California debtor's rights attorney, Daniel Stephen March, has been placed on involuntary inactive status by the State Bar of California after being accused of embezzling up to 60,000 clients out of as much as $282 million. According to the State Bar's complaint, March's law firm, Litigation Practice Group (LPG), charged his clients monthly fees to try to work out deals with their creditors, but when those clients sent in their money to pay off those deals, their money — which should have been held in trust or remitted to the appropriate creditors — simply disappeared. This left the debtor clients still exposed to their creditors, even though they thought they had paid them off. Eventually, LPG filed for bankruptcy and, of the $282 million that the firm had taken in, only $4,500 in cash remained.

 

But there is a much deeper story here, and it involves a twice-disbarred attorney by the name of Tony Diab who was licensed in both California and Nevada. On February 14, 2019, the Nevada Supreme Court disbarred Diab after finding that Diab had misdirected a $375,000 settlement for one of his clients into his own personal account and then forged an email from his opposing counsel in the case saying that the settlement had been contested. Diab also forged the signature of a judge on a fraudulent court order and presented it to another client, telling him that an arrest warrant had been cancelled when in fact it was still outstanding. The client's verified complaint against Diab is of interest. On December 11, 2019, the California Supreme Court also disbarred Diab for this same conduct based on the Petition for Disbarment of the California State Bar. Diab was now no longer a licensed attorney.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jayadkisson/2024/08/12/attorney-alleged-to-have-embezzled-up-to-282-million-from-clients-in-purported-debt-resolution-scam/

[TBoneTX 45,014]

9 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Attorney Alleged To Have Embezzled Up To $282 Million From Clients In Purported Debt Resolution Scam

At least the attorney resolved his OWN debts with these funds, so how can it be a scam?   

[Dashinka 24,364]

More to watch out for.

 

Five Offbeat Phishing Schemes To Know: New Twists On Classic Scams

 

2. Rise Of Phishing Attacks Targeting Weight-Loss Patients

The market for anti-obesity drugs has been rising exponentially. Scammers are swift to capitalize on these trends.

In the first four months of 2024, McAfee’s Threat Research team noted a 183% rise in malicious phishing attempts centered around popular weight-management drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Semaglutide. Researchers discovered a total of 449 scam websites and 176,871 phishing attempts where scammers targeted individuals looking to purchase these drugs online. Some scammers offered these drugs at a steep discount. Others posed as doctors located outside the U.S., offering these drugs without a prescription.

 

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/08/14/five-offbeat-phishing-schemes-to-know-new-twists-on-classic-scams/

[Dashinka 24,364]

This could be bad.

 

Every American's Social Security number, address may have been stolen in hack

 

After a group of hackers claimed to have stolen personal information several months ago from a data broker, a member of the group reportedly shared most of the sensitive data on an online forum for stolen data.

The data includes 2.7 billion records of personal information from Americans including their Social Security numbers and physical addresses, Engadget reported, citing Bleeping Computer.

Who is behind the data theft?

A hacking group called USDoD claimed in April to have stolen personal records from National Public Data in a massive data breach.  The NPD is a platform that offers personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies and others doing background checks, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a class-action lawsuit filed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/every-americans-social-security-number-163724751.html