All news with #scammer tag

📩 Kaspersky examines how everyday messaging channels like SMS, WhatsApp, and email are being exploited by organized scam cartels that use speed, familiarity, and AI to trick victims. The research shows average losses of $733 per victim, rapid attack timelines often under 30 minutes, and widespread emotional damage eroding trust in digital communications. The post highlights common schemes, platform distribution, and recommendations to protect yourself.

🛑 The FBI warns Americans lost more than $388 million in 2025 to scams that leverage cryptocurrency kiosks, commonly called crypto or Bitcoin ATMs. These standalone terminals, often located at gas stations and convenience stores, were used to transfer victims' cash to attacker-controlled wallets, with complaints up 23% and losses up 58% year‑over‑year. The IC3 received over 13,400 kiosk-related complaints and noted adults over 50 suffered a disproportionate share of losses. The bureau recommends verifying callers, refusing QR/payment instructions from unknown individuals, and preserving transaction receipts.

🔍 Sri Lankan police arrested 37 people, all Chinese nationals, on 2 May after raiding a property in Talangama, a Colombo suburb, following a tip-off. Officers seized 35 tablets, 147 mobile phones and 100 SIM cards and say several occupants were working illegally or overstaying visas. Authorities suspect romance-baiting operations that groom victims online and funnel them into fake cryptocurrency investment platforms. The arrests follow earlier large detentions and deportations tied to similar scam centres.

🔍 ESET Research uncovered a cluster of fraudulent Android apps, dubbed CallPhantom, that promised call histories, SMS records and WhatsApp logs for any phone number but delivered fabricated entries and charged users for access. The apps collectively amassed over 7.3 million downloads on Google Play before ESET reported them on 16 December 2025 and the identified packages were removed. Operators used varied payment flows—official Play subscriptions, third‑party UPI links and embedded card checkouts—making refunds and cancellations difficult for many victims.

🚨 Dubai-led authorities shut down nine cryptocurrency investment fraud centers and arrested 276 suspects in a coordinated international operation. Investigators said the networks ran pig-butchering (romance baiting) schemes that built trust with victims and pushed them to fake crypto platforms where funds were quickly seized and laundered. Several individuals now face wire fraud and money-laundering charges, and U.S. agencies linked millions in losses through FBI IC3 complaints.

🔎 Europol announced arrests and seizures after a two‑year probe into professionalised Albanian scam call centres that ran an investment fraud operation estimated to have cost victims at least €50m. Authorities arrested 10 suspects and searched three call centres and nine homes, seizing nearly €900,000, 443 computers, 238 mobile phones and multiple storage devices. Victims were lured via misleading ads and pressured by retention agents posing as investment advisors.

📢 The FTC reports Americans lost more than $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, an eightfold increase since 2020. Facebook accounted for the largest share of reported losses across most age groups, while WhatsApp and Instagram trailed. The agency warns scammers exploit hacked accounts, targeted posts, and paid ads to reach victims at scale. Meta removed millions of scam ads and accounts and rolled out new warnings and protections.

🔒 The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Senator Kok An and 28 other individuals and entities accused of running a Cambodian network that orchestrated large-scale cryptocurrency fraud. Authorities say scammers operated from compounds embedded in casinos and commercial buildings, using romance lures and fake investment platforms to steal digital assets. The sanctions freeze US-linked assets and bar transactions by US persons to disrupt the network's financial and operational infrastructure.

🔒 Operation Atlantic, led by the UK's National Crime Agency with US and Canadian partners, froze $12m and disrupted multiple fraud networks after a week-long probe. The operation focused on approval phishing, a technique that tricks victims into granting full access to cryptocurrency wallets via fake alerts or popups. Investigators, supported by private-sector firms including Binance, Coinbase, Tether, and analytics vendors, identified over 20,000 compromised wallets across 30+ countries and contacted 3,000 victims. Authorities also disrupted more than 120 scam domains and flagged an additional $33m believed stolen in related crypto fraud.

🔒 An international law enforcement action led by the U.K.'s National Crime Agency, dubbed Operation Atlantic, identified over 20,000 victims of cryptocurrency fraud across Canada, the UK, and the US. The weeklong operation brought together the NCA, U.S. Secret Service, Ontario authorities and private-sector partners to share real-time intelligence and conduct coordinated victim outreach. Investigators froze more than $12 million in suspected criminal proceeds tied to approval phishing and traced over $45 million in stolen cryptocurrency, and they will continue analyzing intelligence to pursue further criminal activity.

⚠️Recovery fraud preys on people already defrauded, with criminals posing as recovery firms, regulators or law enforcement to charge upfront fees or collect bank and crypto details. Scammers often use 'sucker lists' to identify vulnerable victims and pressure them into untraceable payments or rushed decisions. Never pay fees in advance; verify claims independently and report incidents to the appropriate authorities.

🔒 Cambodia has enacted the Law on Combating Online Scams, effective immediately, imposing steep penalties for organisers of scam compounds. The law threatens ringleaders with 5–10 years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000, escalating to 10–20 years and larger fines where violence, forced labour, or trafficking are involved. It also shields coerced victims from prosecution.

⚖️ Saheed Sunday Owolabi, 35, was sentenced to 15 years in a U.S. federal prison after a jury convicted him of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors described how he posed as women online to cultivate romantic relationships, then persuaded victims to transfer funds and provided bank accounts used to launder proceeds—more than $1.5 million sent to Nigeria. Chat logs showing he had attempted to swindle another fraudster undermined his claim of being a mere middleman, and images recovered from his phone displayed luxury purchases made with stolen funds.

🚫 The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has sanctioned Xinbi, a Chinese-language marketplace accused of selling stolen personal data and satellite internet equipment to Southeast Asian scam networks and assisting North Korean actors with cryptocurrency laundering. Chainalysis links Xinbi to over $19.9 billion in transactions from 2021–2025. The measures also target #8 Park and operator Legend Innovation Co, aiming to sever Xinbi from legitimate crypto services and disrupt payments to scam centers.

🔍 Flare's analysis of fraud-focused communities reveals an organized underground market selling refund methods, tutorials, and operational services that exploit retailer and payment-provider workflows. Actors advertise step-by-step techniques—such as refund without return, chargeback abuse, goods swapping, and empty-box returns—while offering operators on commission. High-volume targets include Amazon, PayPal, Apple, and major retailers; tutorials typically sell for $50–$300. Researchers urge stronger intelligence sharing, refined controls, and continuous monitoring to close operational gaps.

🔒 Meta is rolling out new anti-scam protections across its platforms, combining user-facing warnings and backend detection to stop fraud before users interact. WhatsApp will alert users to suspicious device-linking requests, while Facebook is testing flags for dubious friend requests and Messenger is expanding anti-scam reviews. Meta also deployed AI to detect impersonation, spoofed brands, and deceptive links, and reports removing over 159 million scam ads and taking down 10.9 million accounts in 2025.

🚨Meta on Wednesday said it disabled over 150,000 accounts linked to scam centers in Southeast Asia as part of a coordinated, multinational enforcement effort with authorities across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. The action follows a December 2025 pilot that removed 59,000 accounts, Pages and Groups and led to six arrest warrants. Meta also announced new protections: suspicious-account warnings on Facebook, WhatsApp device-link alerts for QR-based scams, expanded AI-assisted scam detection on Messenger, and plans to broaden advertiser verification.

🛡️ Operation Red Card 2.0, led by INTERPOL and law enforcement from 16 African nations between December 8, 2025 and January 30, 2026, targeted infrastructure and actors behind high-yield investment scams, mobile money fraud, and fraudulent loan apps. Authorities arrested 651 suspects, recovered over $4.3 million, confiscated 2,341 devices and disrupted 1,442 malicious IPs, domains and servers. The operation linked scams to more than $45 million in losses and identified 1,247 victims, underscoring the value of multinational cooperation against transnational cybercrime.

🔒 Kaspersky researchers have identified a surge in scams targeting fans of the Winter Olympics 2026 in Italy. Fraudsters exploit high demand for tickets and merchandise, using phishing sites that clone official vendors and fake online stores to steal payment and personal data. Bogus streaming services lure viewers with “free” or cheap access while requesting credit-card details or redirecting to ads and malware. Users should buy only through official channels, verify URLs, avoid unsolicited links, and deploy a robust security solution such as Kaspersky Premium to block phishing, dangerous sites, and card skimmers.

⚠️ Juniper Research says social media platforms collected nearly £3.8bn ($5.2bn) from malicious or scam adverts across 11 European markets in 2025, based on roughly 993 billion ad impressions. The Revolut-sponsored analysis found about 10% of impressions were linked to scams and estimates platforms took in £38bn overall from social advertising. The report warns impressions could reach 1.4 trillion by 2030, potentially increasing scam-linked revenue to about £8.4bn unless detection, enforcement and user education are strengthened. It urges greater transparency, manual advertiser checks and faster adaptability to evolving scams to protect user trust.