American National Bank and Trust Company has reported that counterfeit cashier’s checks using the bank’s routing number of 051401027 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with various internet scams involving mystery shopping and job opportunities. There are at least three known variations of counterfeit items in circulation; coloration is unknown. Variation #1 – … Read more
If you receive an email regarding a NORTON 360 LIFE renewal, it is a scam. Do not call the number in the email. It appears designed to get suckers to call and then the person on the phone will attempt to get personal information from you. There are a number of red flags in the … Read more
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has been informed that an entity using the name “FNB” is misrepresenting itself as a national bank. While the entity may represent that they are affiliated with a legitimate financial institution, they are not. The fictitious entity has been robocalling and robotexting consumers to obtain information … Read more
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has been informed that an entity using the name “Amarico Trust Bank” and branding itself as “AmTrust Bank,” an inactive institution, is misrepresenting itself as a national bank. The fictitious entity has been using a foreign-hosted website designed to obtain information to likely perpetrate identity theft. … Read more
Two California hospice facility owners were arrested today in Los Angeles on criminal charges related to their alleged participation in a kickback and health care fraud scheme. According to court documents, Oganes Doganyan, 49, of Northridge, and Kristine Arutyunyan, 38, of Glendale, paid illegal kickbacks for the referral of Medicare beneficiary information that could be … Read more
A three-count criminal indictment was unsealed yesterday in federal court in the Eastern District of New York charging Roberto Gustavo Cortes Ripalda, 54, of Madrid, Spain; Fernando Haberer Bergson, 48, of Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Ernesto Heraclito Weisson Pazmino, 53, of Miami, Florida, with conspiring to defraud investors and financial institutions as part of an … Read more
A California-licensed homeopathic doctor was arrested recently for her alleged scheme to sell homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets and to falsify COVID-19 vaccination cards by making it appear that customers had received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Moderna vaccine. Juli A. Mazi, 41, of Napa, is charged with one count of wire fraud and … Read more
Made in USA labels will finally mean goods were made in America The Federal Trade Commission finalized a new rule that will crack down on marketers who make false, unqualified claims that their products are Made in the USA. Under the rule, marketers making unqualified Made in USA claims on labels should be able to … Read more
Agency charged the company with deceiving loan applicants about hidden fees Online lender LendingClub Corporation agreed to pay $18 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the company deceived consumers about hidden fees that it charged and about whether their loan applications were approved. In addition, the settlement bars LendingClub from making misrepresentations to … Read more
The Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds totaling more than $223,000 to people who lost money to a student loan and mortgage debt relief operation. The FTC alleged that A1 DocPrep Inc., Streamlined Marketing, and their owner, Horman Ardalan falsely claimed to be from the Department of Education, and promised to reduce borrowers’ monthly payments … Read more
The Federal Trade Commission is sending checks totaling more than $316,000 to 10,689 people who lost money to a student loan debt relief scheme. In a complaint first announced in March 2020, the FTC alleged SLAC (which also used the name Aspyre), Navloan, and Student Loan Assistance Center, and their owner, Adam Owens, falsely told … Read more
In a newly filed amended complaint, the Federal Trade Commission alleges that merchant cash advance provider RCG Advances and other defendants made multiple unauthorized withdrawals from small businesses’ banks, sometimes taking thousands of dollars more than the agreed repayment amount. The amended complaint also alleges that RCG, formerly known as Richmond Capital Group, LLC and … Read more
Career Education Corporation refund distribution, averaging more than $3,700 per person, is the largest per person average in agency’s history The Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $30 million in refunds to people tricked by agents working on behalf of Career Education Corporation (currently operating as Perdoceo Education Corporation), the operator of several post-secondary schools. … Read more
Since October 2020, consumers have reported losing more than $80 million to cryptocurrency investment scams, an increase of more than ten-fold year-over-year, according to a new data analysis from the Federal Trade Commission. In a new consumer protection data spotlight, the FTC breaks down the contents of nearly 7,000 reports received from consumers about these … Read more
The operators of a student loan debt relief scheme are banned from providing debt relief services and have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they collected illegal upfront fees and falsely promised to lower or even eliminate consumers’ loan payments or balances. In its 2019 complaint the FTC alleged that Student Advocates Team … Read more