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If their friend request gets accepted, they will begin to say scam and phishing messages. If someone calls to offer you a refund for tech support services you paid for, it’s likely a fake refund scam. That’s called a refund! To help protect yourself even further in the future, Google offers a tool called Password Alert that warns you if you type your Google account credentials into any page that isn’t officially Google’s. In this way, even if the feds are unable to show that the income was derived from illegal activity (such as stealing from an employer, or accepting a bribe payment, etc.) then if the alleged offender did not pay taxes on that money, they can be prosecuted criminally. They may even produce fake paperwork that makes the deal look legitimate. But consumer advocates, who typically follow a stringent pro-privacy agenda, argue that in this instance, fully equipping law enforcement officials is essential to protecting Americans given how quickly domain name-related scams crop up: Between Jan. 1 and March 31, more than 116,000 domains were newly registered with coronavirus-related names, according to researchers at cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks Inc. And the FBI estimated that as of April 21, it had received and reviewed more than 3,600 complaints related to COVID-19 scams, including those tied to websites advertising fake vaccines, charity drives and other fraudulent activity.

The investment offer is completely fake. Learn about an investment professional’s background, registration status, and more. Look for some of the pet fraud red flags we mentioned above, such as a deal that is too good to be true or not being able to talk to the person on the phone. So if you’re alarmed by headlines about e-mail taxes, you can ratchet down from red alert. The creditor can always foreclose. Proof of intentional fraud is not required for a creditor to prevail on a claim of fraudulent transfer by a debtor-which makes this a rather peculiar form of fraud, an offense which in other areas of the law almost always requires proof of malign intent. I asked the NCA why they had failed to investigate the colossal allegations of HSBC fraud, which one would think would be a major priority for a law-enforcement agency whose entire remit is that sort of crime. Ironically, on the pretext of filling a “skills gap,” one of the first things the NCA did upon replacing the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), was sign up a force of unpaid bankers, accountants and lawyers – the very sectors harbouring the criminal economy – to ‘help’ the agency tackle cyber crime, drug-trafficking, fraud and corruption, among other crimes. In July 2013, career police officer Nick Lewis, a senior director at SOCA who led law-enforcement engagement with US authorities on organised crime and drug-trafficking in the Caribbean, left the force. The impunity with which the bank was able to carry out such fraud in cahoots with leading law firms, and the conspiracy of silence across regulators, law-enforcement agencies, and the media that has protected the bank’s reputation at home, underscores the truly colossal scale of corruption across powerful British institutions. Under TUFTA, the creditor must carry the burden of proving the elements as to each alleged fraudulent transfer by a preponderance of the evidence.

It is just that now (after suit is threated or filed) the debtor may be under scrutiny; and, as a result, either the debtor or his transferee may have to bear the burden of asserting this affirmative defense. 3) subject to applicable principles of equity and in accordance with applicable rules of civil procedure: (A) an injunction against further disposition by the debtor or a transferee, or both, of the asset transferred or of other property; (B) appointment of a receiver to take charge of the asset transferred or of other property of the transferee; or (C) any other relief the circumstances may require. The yearly percentage rate of the finance charge. What’s more, women are victimized at a much greater rate than men. As the fraudsters are sometimes requesting codes from Apple Gift Cards, App Store & iTunes Gift Cards, or Apple Store Gift Cards, we want to make sure our customers are aware of these scams. And while AT&T launched a new solution in May of 2021, they still require customers to be on their most expensive plans just to get Caller ID. Few areas of the country have seen growth in housing values, but buyers are still buying — it is their market, after all — and sellers still need to sell. The largest percentage of fraudulent transfers are transactions conducted with an insider or affiliated person without payment of reasonably equivalent value in return. 1) the first transferee of the asset or the person for whose benefit the transfer was made; or (2) any subsequent transferee other than a good faith transfer who took for value or from any subsequent transferee.” The person for whose benefit the transfer was made may include the actual debtor or someone attempting to avoid a debt. In Texas, execution on a valid judgment may not be thwarted by a fraudulent transfer or conveyance (fraudulent transfer being a term of art further discussed below) that is designed to hinder, delay, or defraud a judgment creditor, regardless of when the transfer is made-either before entry of judgment or after filing an abstract.  Da​ta was created by G​SA C​onte᠎nt Gener᠎at or DEMO!

Readers may recognize the above ordinary course of business exception as being very similar in theme and effect to Property Code Section 42.004(c) which protects an individual’s exempt personal property in the event of execution on a judgment. The United States Postal Service charges up to $2.90 per order if going to a customer in the U.S.; those being sent internationally cost $49.65 per $700. TUFTA “shall be applied and construed to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law with respect to the subject of this chapter among states enacting it” (Bus. Governing law is the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act (TUFTA) which is found in Chapter 24 of the Business and Commerce Code. The rights of creditors when it comes to transfers to spouses are governed by Family Code Section 4.106, which states that” a provision of a partition or exchange agreement made under this subchapter is void with respect to the rights of a pre-existing creditor whose rights are intended to be defrauded by it.” Note the requirement of intent. When discussing fraudulent transfers of assets, one must start with the definition of asset. See the catfish definition for further information and related links. Do not respond to these emails or click the links in them.

Disabled account notifications are a type of email scam that falsely alerts you of a suspended account, suspicious activity, or failed payment. But most car buyers today make their purchase by paying a down payment and then financing the balance — making monthly car payments until the remainder of the loan is paid in full. Unless you don’t mind paying thousands of dollars in interest, you’ll want to make your down payment as high as you can afford. Keep in mind that these estimates are based on cars in good condition with an average of 12,000 miles per year. If you decide to buy a used car, there are sev­eral things you need to keep in mind. When you figure out what car you want (or what cars you want to check out up-close-and-personal — think “test-drive”), there are some things you want to learn about the car(s) so that you can get the best deal possible when you’re ready to buy. Scholarships do not need these things to verify your identity or hold the scholarship. Although no service can prevent identity theft from happening, there are a number of companies that monitor for suspicious use of your data and alert you when they notice something. Department of Transportation. Fortunately, the majority of moves are made without incident but the number of complaints against moving companies has increased steadily over the past decade. An individual who makes this claim is not from the government and could be trying to collect private personal data from you, such as your Social Security number, bank account number or other such information. Be aware of how different social network sites use and reveal geotags in photos uploaded to their sites. Don’t use the information in the text message. The IRS, states and industry, working together as the Security Summit, remind taxpayers that neither the IRS nor state agencies will ever text taxpayers asking for bank account information so that an EIP deposit may be made. This artic le has ​be᠎en ᠎do ne  with the help ᠎of G᠎SA C ontent G enerator D em ov er᠎sion.

When you’re accepting booking requests, it might also be a good idea to take a security deposit or impose a strict cancelation policy to avoid scammers targeting you. Has someone claimed that you’ll be rewarded handsomely if you can transfer a quick deposit? Rapid Intensity: If someone expresses deep feelings or talks of a serious commitment unusually quickly, it’s a warning sign. Among all these people, you’re bound to find someone that drives or has driven the make or model you’re researching. Usually, the vulnerability is in people, not software. Malware is a form of invasive software that is often frequently inadvertently downloaded by the user. Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (M-1) Student Status -For Vocational Students. This site offers up just about everything you need to know about buying a new or used car. FrontPageAfrica released an article titled “Alleged Trafficked Victims from Sierra Leona, Guinea, Senegal & Ivory Coast Stranded in Liberia.” The report claimed that QNET had been bringing trafficked victims to Liberia under the guide of job offers. In 2014, charges against QNET were presented in a shariah court in Tajikistan’s former Soviet republic. A copy of your report costs $9 plus any taxes, shipping and/or handling charges. Keep a copy of the Steam gift card or your store receipt. There are a variety of places to obtain a copy of your credit report. This will help you remember all the important information when you report it. Run a Vehicle History Report to get a full history of the car.

In addition to visiting dealerships to do your research, you should also be reading car reviews in magazines and online. You can get a good idea of the base price (the price of the car without any special options) by visiting different dealerships and comparing prices and by using the Internet to get price quotes. But once you know what the acronyms mean and how car financing works, you’ll be ready to get the best possible price on the car you’ve chosen. The key to a great deal is to get the best price on the car as well as the best possible financing rate. Therefore it’s pretty reasonable to assume that car dealers are out to sell you a car and make the most money possible on the deal. You should have at least 30 days to make sure the car is in good condition. If you go into the dealership with a very good idea of what you want and what you want to pay, the negotiating is up to them, not you. Don’t be afraid to walk out of a dealership if you feel that you are being treated unfairly. If you meet the qualifications set out by the car dealer — perhaps you’re a first-time car buyer, or you have excellent credit — you may want to consider going through their finance department. Official Used Car Guide, the Kelley Blue Book and the Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide, list as the market value of your trade-in. Car dealers can make tons of money by giving you below market value for your trade-in. To attain that goal, you must avoid the common and costly pitfalls of car buying.

If you know what kind of car you want, what to expect to pay for it and what your rights are, you should have a positive car buying experience. Some dealers even post their used cars on used car Web sites. For example, the 3-in-1 package available from the Equifax Web site currently costs $29.95. Visit this Web site, the Better Business Bureau Law Program. NOTE: To review PG&E’s authorized methods of payment, visit Ways to pay. Plus, we’ll review some precautions that can help keep you safe. If a customer asks you to use their shipping service, review their order for fraud carefully. That means there’s often a gap between when the money goes to the bank customer and the moment it can actually be verified. It comes as all-in-one apps, often complete with customer service and tech support to help scams run smoothly. Insurance adjusters often deal with burnout because the job comes with considerable stress. Know what other dealers are charging for the car and then the deal will be on your terms, not the dealer’s. US – any other URL is not the real deal. You receive a fake invoice or money request by email, designed to look like a real PayPal email. Scammers then get reimbursed by Medicare for the fake services. Roblox: How to spot and avoid scammers in Adopt Me! For example, many of them included some type of familiar brand name, like Marriott or Costco, to increase their credibility and “authority.” Scammers frequently use persuasion techniques like pretending to be a legitimate business and using local area codes to foster familiarity. There is certainly a lot of information you need to understand before you run off to your local dealership. You could be voluntarily giving away personal information or access to your smartphone to someone you know or who gains your trust.

Lansing office (State Capitol) of the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, including Maura Corrigan and Nick Lyon, have all gotten their Legal Counsels involved and now refuse to provide me with anything, denying my final APPEAL, after all of this fraud on their part. Most recently, they have DENIED my final APPEAL for these records with a statement of denial dated September 8, 2015 by MDHHS’s legal counsel in Lansing. What kind of education records does MindMup store? What’s much harder, though, is getting a store to use your hacked card reader on their merchant account. Microsoft is unlikely to let Google and Apple have all the fun, though, and will continue finding ways to operate between computers, tablets and phones. He has also told me that police have visited his home. ’s home with countless C.P.S. All that we wanted and asked for over 4 years now was that a real investigation be conducted of this Flint C.P.S. She has completely destroyed my child custody and parenting time case for over 3 years now with an additional child abuse claim every single time that I arrived to a child custody or parenting time hearing. 1. A child abuse claim for an August 6, 2012 supervised visit is made 8 days after the visit, or on August 14, 2012, and conveniently the exact same day after my court hearing on August 13, 2012 for additional parenting time; after my ex-wife was unhappy with the court hearing and immediately after my attorney had also submitted filings for more parenting time on my behalf. Po​st was g᠎ener ated  with the help of G SA Content G enerator D​emoversi on᠎!

2. Two fraudulent complaints were made against me and the parenting time supervisors on April 14, 2013 and April 22, 2013 right before and on the same day as my April 22, 2013 court hearing for additional parenting time. When it comes to unveiling digital wallets to consumers, two hot-button words always appear: security and privacy. These facts are all true and not mere coincidences that over two dozen Genesee County C.P.S. My son has told me over the years of the many C.P.S. I don’t think these supervisors and their Lansing office will actually investigate their own agents in Genesee County as I have requested for over 4 years now. Genesee County C.P.S. has no intention on talking to the actual witnesses who were at the supervised visits in which C.P.S. 46) C.P.S. of Flint has also refused to talk to witnesses and the parenting time supervisors, all of whom were present during supervised visits in which child abuse claims have been made. They also have refused to provide documentation, for me to pass onto the court, of any of the child abuse claims they found to be fraudulent so I can show the court this pattern of lies. As soon as my ex-wife is informed of this, she then files another child abuse claim on May 31, 2013, 7 days after the prior investigations were found to be fraudulent, with Genesee County C.P.S. Upon them finally calling me a month later, I drive immediately to their office to fight this, within 10 minutes after their phone call to me. Someday, when my son is a grown man, I will show him what his father had to deal with and fight against to simply get parental rights like any citizen should have. Coincidently this new investigation occurs in the same days that I had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for all of their investigative files and my submission of filings in the court to deal with their prior fraud and upon them being served these filings.

Conveniently, this new child abuse claim occurs 4 days before my June 4, 2013 mandatory settlement conference in the court for additional parenting time. By going to court again, my son’s mother will continue to drag him in her drama and make further child abuse claims each time that I go to court. 47) Is it not a crime in Michigan to make repeated fraudulent claims and file false criminal complaints? Say no to any salesperson that pressures you to make an immediate decision. It should use sophisticated decision models to better manage false positives and detect network relationships to see a holistic view of the activity of fraudsters and criminals. “The Department of Justice is committed to preventing fraudsters from exploiting this pandemic for personal gain,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ethan P. Davis of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. US citizen Ulana Nadia Suprun, a descendant of Ukrainian Nazis, is appointed Acting Health Minister of Ukraine. This Kurt E. Krause and Denise Clemens, and the past and current Director for the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, have all refused my countless demands and requests for these case files and investigative files (through official F.O.I.A. Federal Department of Health and Human Services ». This supervisor, Michelle Sparks, with her position at Flint C.P.S., as well as her team, are out of control and are abusing their powers, ignoring federal laws, state laws, criminal laws, and civil rights laws, are discriminatory and racist, and have assisted my ex-wife on the exact same days as court hearings, and also as retaliation for my reporting her and her teams’ crimes and activities.

Leading the largest-ever crackdown on illegal telemarketing: The FTC joined more than 100 federal and state law enforcement partners nationwide, including the attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in Operation Stop Scam Calls, a crackdown on illegal telemarketing calls involving more than 180 actions targeting operations responsible for billions of calls to U.S. Stop and ask yourself a few quick questions. Mortgage Fraud: A lender/company promises loan modification, money-back guarantee, advises you to stop paying, advises you not to contact your mortgage servicer, or asks you to sign papers you don’t understand. The contact information is probably still there if you want your own personal artwork and have a bit of money to burn – it was money well spent for us. Email platforms do try to block dangerous emails such as phishing attempts, but some could still get into your inbox. Slightly higher membership dues might mean that you can get unbiased information. How do you get cryptocurrency? The indictment states that the first transfer of PlexCoin occurred in August of 2017, and the PlexCoin ICO continued through October of 2017. Court documents show that the defendants and their co-conspirators regularly transferred investor funds from the PlexCoin ICO into fiat currency accounts, and cryptocurrency addresses belonging to themselves for the purpose of daily living expenses and home renovation products. I believe that as the biological father and a father with court “Ordered” parental rights, I must be provided with any investigations going on in the home that my child is living in.

” said Douglas Schulz, of Colorado Springs, a former stock broker who now serves as an expert witness in securities fraud cases. For example, suppose a broker sold you a bond by telling you his firm has cornered the market in that issue. My one condition was that he put in writing what we’d agreed to verbally: that I’d move back into the original listing as soon as possible, or be refunded for half of my trip if the plumbing issue couldn’t be resolved. Speaking of money, there is one legitimate way you may get money back that you totally forgot about. Fraudsters may “warn” you that the binary options website you are using is a scam in order to gain your trust and get you to deposit even more money in another website that they also run. Read over all contracts carefully, or even better, have your lawyer do it. Investors, irrespective of their background or wealth, have the right to rely upon the knowledge, experience or trusted advice of their financial professional. Investigate your financial professional. Is your financial professional a registered stockbroker, or is that person an investment advisor, or both? Professional websites with little to no information. What’s interesting/scary about this phishing attempt is that the bad actor is trying to steal multiple pieces of information in one attack. A further distinction that liberal democracies have rarely made war with one another; research has extended the theory and finds that more democratic countries tend to have few wars (sometimes called militarized interstate disputes) causing fewer battle deaths with one another and that democracies have far fewer civil wars. Data was created  with t᠎he he lp of GSA Con tent Generat​or D᠎em ov​ersion!

Similarly, when it comes to passwords, if you happen to forget yours you can have it reset by answering personal questions. Investigate them. Ask questions. Don’t ever call the phone number in a pop-up. We have been made aware of recent scams involving (i) emails purporting to be from Linklaters using domains similar to our genuine domain name (such as, but not limited to, “@linklaters-uk.eu” and “@link-laters.eu”) and (ii) WhatsApp messages purporting to be sent by a client of the firm, relating to a supposedly confidential business deal and requesting the recipient to call a phone number stated to belong to a partner of Linklaters. Here’s a likely scenario from a recent real-life case: A note arrives over Facebook Messenger that appears to be from a friend – right down to their name and photo – so you have no reason to question otherwise, at least at first. We obtain results because we work hard and zealously to get those results, and we are particularly proud of what our clients have said about the quality of our legal representation over the last several decades. To win a misrepresentation case, you must demonstrate that you were enticed by the representation. Wronged investors also have a duty to act, or else their claims may be barred by operation of law and the passage of time from the occurrence or events giving rise to their claims, and as may be applicable, the discovery of these claims upon the exercise of reasonable diligence.

If you have suffered investment losses, you should consult with a securities or investment fraud lawyer to evaluate your claims and learn your rights and obligations. If you have suffered financial losses, you should consult with a securities arbitration and investment fraud lawyer to determine your rights and obligations. These investigators in this field have different specialities & backgrounds so as to resolve these types of problems. However, all investors also have a duty to investigate before they invest. Securities broker-dealers also have a duty under the federal securities laws and self-regulatory rules to protect their customer accounts from fraud, and to adequately supervise the conduct and activities of their associated persons or stockbrokers, conducting business with the investing public, and engaged in the sale of securities or other investment related activities. How many cases have they actually tried at a final hearing? However, in such cases we normally proceed to deal with them unless they start to request payment (for fees, etc) before anything else. Are these securities or financial products being recommended or sold to generate or maximize commissions and fees, and further their own financial interest, generally at the expense of the investor? “The chairman of the panel halted the proceedings and ordered the investor into the hallway-without his lawyer-to try to reach a settlement with the brokerage representative…

 This h᠎as been cre​at ed with the help　of GSA Con᠎tent G en​erat᠎or  D emov᠎er sion.

“The settlement represents pennies on the dollar compared to the $7 trillion that U.S. “The big question now is will the U.S. You would never know someone is now in your account, ready to loot you dry (or getting ready to phish for more accounts). Sometimes promoters will use different tactics to put pressure on you to buy now. At this point, the criminal can use the money without getting caught. If you feel that state or federal governments are spending tax money unwisely, write your representatives and support candidates who share your values. Are the securities you are being sold registered, or exempt from registration under state and federal law. This area of the law generally requires knowledge and experience dealing with the relevant legal issues which often involve the application of the federal securities laws, regulations, self-regulatory rules, individual state “blue-sky” laws, the common law, and the navigation of the FINRA Code of Arbitration Procedure. Securities arbitration claims often involve complex legal and regulatory issues. We have accepted, and have successfully litigated complex securities arbitration and other claims for both small and large investors, including individuals, early retirees, trusts, pension plans, and large institutions, literally from all over the world.

Have you experienced a scam and want to report it? I don’t want anybody, you know, showing up at my doorstep thinking they’re gonna be in my … Don’t reply to unwanted messages if you’re unsure who sent it or it doesn’t provide an opt-out option. This allows the fraudster to intercept one-time passwords sent via text or telephone calls to the victim’s number and thus subvert two-factor authentication methods relying on them. It might be handing over passwords to make it easier to hack a company or person, or sending payments to fraudsters instead of the correct account. The money could be wired to the hacker’s bank account. While lobbyists are not allowed to give money or gifts directly to members of Congress, a lobbyist can throw a $10,000 a plate fundraising dinner for an elected official with all donations given by friends and supporters of the client. Chances are, you won’t see your money again. You should also check the company’s social media pages for recent activity and to see what other people are posting on their social channels. But Stickam users can choose to restrict who can see their video feeds. If your school closed or is facing lawsuits, you can potentially do what’s called Borrower Defense to Repayment. A team of detectives called the Flying Squad was dispatched from Scotland Yard to find the criminals. The fee is sometimes called processing fees, administrative fees, or consolidation fees. It drives up credit card and loan fees. The interchange is made up of a variety of smaller fees paid to all the different companies that have a part in the transaction: the merchant’s bank, the credit card association and the company that issued the card. Please share this information and the FTC’s new infographic, developed with the American Bankers Association Foundation.

In truth, explained the late Senator Robert C. Byrd, every American belongs to a multitude of special interest groups. The groups in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin – all states that had officially approved Biden electors – acted publicly in mid-December 2020. They said they were adopting a tactic used by Democrats in Hawaii decades ago in hopes that some later court decision might make their meaningless votes actually count. Federal prosecutors are examining the decision by Republican electors in some states won by President Biden in 2020 to send in signed statements purporting to affirm Donald Trump as the victor of the election, a top Justice Department official said Tuesday. Now, the UNNJ sting is over, but leaves quite a wake: the indictments of 21 “brokers, recruiters, and employers from across the United States who allegedly conspired with more than 1,000 foreign nationals,” as the Department of Justice explained, to keep them in the country under the auspices of an ersatz alma mater. Some commentators and lawmakers have pressed the department to be more aggressive in examining the conduct of Trump and those close to him. So to fight a battle against fraudsters, knowledge worker would capitalize on law of increasing returns – migrating from less information to more & more relevant insight! The traditional lecture method of teaching allows for a high student ratio, and there is no need for expensive lab equipment or, at free-standing law schools like InfiLaw’s, other costly features of university life, such as sports teams, recreational centers, esoteric subjects pursued by an uneconomical handful of students, and so forth. Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson had violated school policy by transferring Wilson’s teenage daughter from Duke Ellington School of the Arts to Woodrow Wilson High School.  This a​rticle h as been creat᠎ed ᠎by G​SA᠎ C​on te nt Ge nerato r DEMO .

The ma­nipu­la­tion of those figures led to the firing of several school administrators and prompted an ongoing investigation by the FBI, U.S. But, by mutual agreement with the allegedly corrupt individuals representing “students” from 26 countries who hoped to take advantage of the U.S. She said she hoped officials would discuss the matter with those at the Justice Department in D.C. Education Department and D.C. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nessel had said previously that prosecutors “took the information that was provided,” and her solicitor general had spoken with the acting U.S. We report scam attempts to the relevant regulatory authorities where appropriate and further information can be found on the Solicitors Regulation Authority scam alert page: SRA | Scam alerts | Solicitors Regulation Authority. These techniques include steps that can be taken by individuals, as well as by organizations. And some used UNNJ to get work visas for their clients as well. But on the campus of the University of Northern New Jersey (UNNJ), nestled in idyllic Cranford about 20 miles from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, no students were concerned with such matters – because the school, as authorities just announced, was an elaborate front used by undercover federal agents to trap people illegally trying to score fake visas for foreign nationals. “The University of Northern New Jersey promises a high quality American education to students from around the world. The current state of some American institutions of higher learning, flush with debates about trigger warnings, sexual assault and affirmative action, have left some critics wondering whether college students have time to learn anything anymore. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Tuesday on when prosecutors began looking into the matter, whom they were targeting or even if they were conducting a full-fledged investigation, rather than just assessing referrals from state attorneys general.

But they have drawn additional scrutiny in recent weeks, as the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol seeks to understand the origin of the Trump elector slates, and two Democratic attorneys general, in New Mexico and Michigan, have asked federal prosecutors to investigate whether the certifications could amount to a crime. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) alluded to Trump’s comments as he returned to the Capitol from the meeting Monday night. But Garland and other top officials have faced pressure to do and say more about their efforts to hold accountable those who sought to subvert Biden’s win – both during the Capitol riot and before it. Over the last year and a half, after finding out she was donor-conceived — and more shockingly, that her mother’s fertility doctor was the “donor” – she has become a fertility fraud activist. Last but not least, if you suspect that you or someone you know may be a victim of a scam, briefly review the resources you can turn to. If other customers have results that match yours, the company can contact you and the other people to let them know of the match. Unfortunately, it’s now apparent that even legitimate journals can unwittingly provide a platform for unethical scientists. The company said in a statement that it had “identified three Editors who appear to have subverted the peer review process by creating fraudulent reviewer accounts and using these accounts to submit favorable review reports.” In other words, they circumvented the process of peer review — whereby scientific papers are given a thumbs up by scientists unrelated to the work before they’re published — by creating puppet reviewers. Over the last three months, DCPS, lauded for several years as a success story of the national movement to reform urban schools, has been beset by its worst series of scandals in at least a decade.

Fraud is a very old concept adopted in America from the English legal system when it became an independent country with its own system of laws. The sugar daddy scam takes advantage of an existing system. As convenient as it may be, the credit card system has brought with it the chances of fraudulent activities. When the real users of those credit cards find out, an avalanche of chargebacks will occur. You will not get paid if you fall for one of these scams, even if you do work for them for a period of time in what seems to be a job. Not only that, but when the defence expert witness presents a report that criticises the way the prosecution have presented their case, the police will then be forced to seek their own experienced expert witness to consider it. A hospital that presents itself as offering the best care, yet fails to determine the full extent of the evidence for (or against) that care, or knows there is other evidence out there that may contradict what it is telling patients, is potentially liable for fraudulent misrepresentation whether the treatment is chemotherapy or reiki. Let’s get a few of these out of the way right off the bat.” And, to the extent the patient paid for those services, the patient has suffered damages, even though the amount may be small. It’s a Main Street bank, meaning that by and large it makes its money by selling services to individuals and small businesses-checking accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, safety deposit boxes. Papers must not exceed 10 pages for the main text, inclusive of figures, tables, appendices; references only may be included on up to 2 additional pages. Or, at the least, he knew there must be some disconfirming evidence to contradict the ad’s claims.

Physical effects such as tingling must be attributed to some other phenomena. Treatment effects are both a positive effect on the body’s energy itself and specific improvements in the patient’s medical condition, such as stimulation of bone and tissue healing after injury or surgery, an unspecified “success” in physical healing and “detoxifying” the body. To sum up the case for our cancer patient: The hospital advertised a treatment, reiki, claiming it provides specific health benefits by adding to, moving and/or unblocking the patient’s “energy.” The hospital knew these claims are false (or it disregarded the facts), yet intended that our patient rely on these false claims in order to induce him to purchase one or more reiki sessions. All current logins are displayed here. Her posts are archived here. While the law of fraudulent misrepresentation varies in some respects from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, here we’ll use a general statement of its elements from the Restatement 2d of Torts. If they offer a product or service, e.g., discounted electricity or home repairs Have them wait outside while you call their company or employer. The victim is usually asked to click a link, call a phone number, or contact an email address provided by the attacker. You’ll be directed to check a message in your email. After you report it, you’ll get advice on what you can do next to recover and protect yourself. Arbitration is a formal alternative to litigation and can be faster, cheaper and less complex. As reiki has no known ill effects, a fact that undercuts its very credibility as a treatment, we can safely assume physical harm won’t be an issue. Although it would certainly make for an amusing case if the patient claimed that reiki actually messed up his “energy distribution,” thereby making him even more ill.

You can read How Pyramid Schemes Work to understand more about that process. Stolen credit cards numbers, for example, are only useful if you can convert all of that credit into cash. Against the sheer number of rogue listings, he argues, officials are fighting a losing battle. The email address or phone number they used to contact you is different from the one that you gave that company. From its beginnings as a cross-country express service in 1852, the company evolved into a regional powerhouse, and from there, to one of the biggest retail banks in the world. FedEx does not require money transfer to third party or escrow service before they’ll deliver a package, so if that’s what the text message indicates, then it’s definitely a FedEx text scam. What the law requires, if you are selling a product or service to a consumer, is that you tell the consumer what you know about the product or service and you don’t leave out information that a person purchasing your product would want to know. Or if you represent something as fact when you actually know you don’t have all the facts, or don’t think you do, you can be held liable as well. I know hospitals are business entities, such as corporations, and they can’t “know” anything except through their employees and other agents who act for them.

Texas law recognizes that life and business continue after a judgment. This is good for law enforcement, but bad for criminals, for example. The law of fraudulent misrepresentation does not get into issues of whether the hospital’s intent was pure or whether it was “trying to help.” “Intent” refers to the intent to withhold information, or to give false information, not intent in some evil sense. Was our patient’s reliance on the hospital’s claims justifiable? But the standard is not whether a reasonable person would investigate these claims. We’ll also assume that the information given to our cancer patient in person is the same as, or at least not inconsistent with, the information in the ad. That is the standard for contributory negligence – what a reasonable person would do – and contributory negligence is not applicable in fraudulent misrepresentation lawsuits, because it is an intentional tort. Let’s turn to our cancer patient, because to successfully make out a case for fraudulent misrepresentation, we have to show that the patient (a) relied on the misrepresentation in deciding to purchase a reiki treatment and that (b) the reliance was justified. Let’s imagine a hypothetical case in which the plaintiff is a cancer patient who receives ongoing treatment at a certain hospital. “Most people get enough fluoride in their drinking water and from regular toothpaste, and by the time you’re an adult, and your teeth have fully formed, the fluoride treatment doesn’t do much,” my dad said. We’ve already determined that the patient relied on the hospital’s information – otherwise, why would he buy the treatment? Data w as cre᠎ated by G SA Content Generator D emover sion​!

Co-defendants Huanzhang Wu, 29, of St. Paul, Minnesota, Zhongnan Liu, 34, of San Diego, who paid He to arrange sham their sham marriages, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. He paid the undercover agent $10,000 to enter into the sham marriage and, in April 2019, met with the agent at the Rosemead Public Library to help with Han’s immigration paperwork, the plea agreement states. The SEC says that no such agreement or relationship existed between Centra Tech. Never believe the salesperson if he or she says a service contract covers everything. Pape and Jung used Square’s credit and debit card processing service to charge third parties the fee of $1082.50. Once there, you are asked to provide personal information like login credentials or credit card data. Read its privacy policy to see how they’ll use your personal information. Even if you log into Netflix by scamming credentials from an idiot friend, you surely won’t see “idiotfriend” in the URL! Item-swapping scams are a form of scamming where the scammer will replace the requested item in a trade, then cancel the trade with some form of excuse, and they will attempt to re-trade the victim and place a different item that resembles the original item. Here’s the major problem for sellers: If the real account holder reports fraudulent activity, PayPal may cancel the payment you received and return the money to the rightful owner. The indictment alleges that in order to lure the potential investors, many of whom took their money out of legitimate investments-such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401Ks-Holley and Enright promised high, guaranteed returns, and the safe return of an investor’s entire principal at the end of the investment period. As a result, the IRS erroneously issued a refund of $480,323 to Sean Morton for a 2008 income tax return.

Sean David Morton, 58, and his wife, Melissa Ann Morton, 50, each were convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, two counts each of filing false claims against the United States, and various counts of passing false or fictitious financial instruments (specifically, 26 counts against Sean Morton, and 25 counts against Melissa Morton). “Sean and Melissa Morton made multiple attempts to defraud the IRS and the taxpaying public,” stated Special Agent in Charge R. Damon Rowe for IRS Criminal Investigation. He admitted telling the agent that he would be paid $25,000 when Han received her green card, as well as $5,000 at the end of the immigration process. Xiaojun Han, 40, of Irvine, for the purpose of entering into a sham marriage to obtain a green card. He also met with a co-defendant and two other undercover agents for the purpose of arranging the agents into sham marriages with Chinese nationals. He admitted coaching the Chinese nationals and United States citizens on how to make their marriages appear genuine and how to pass interviews conducted by the USCIS, such as by creating a fraudulent paper trail for the couples and memorizing answers to questions immigration service officers could ask during their USCIS interviews. It essentially attempted to make monopolies illegal. Artic le　w as created wi᠎th the he᠎lp ​of GSA Con tent G enerator Dem over​si on !

Do not make checks payable to individuals. The public should remember to perform due diligence before giving contributions to anyone soliciting donations or individuals offering to provide assistance to those affected by the hurricane and tornadoes. Avoid cash donations if possible. Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as members of charitable organizations or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites. Individuals promoting this scam frequently cite various discredited legal theories and may refer to the scheme as “Redemption” or “Strawman.” This scheme, which repeatedly has been rejected by courts, predominately uses fraudulent financial documents that appear to be legitimate. “At a time when small businesses-the engines of our economy in East Texas-most needed the help that the Small Business Administration was rushing to provide, these individuals took advantage of members of the public, depleting the available resources for small businesses and lining their own pockets with fraudulent gain,” said U.S. Rather than follow a purported link to a website, verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status. Events in the ordinary course of life and business may continue. Instead, Holley and Enright, and others directed by them, simply deposited the victim investor funds into Treasure’s bank accounts and then used the money for their personal benefit, for the benefit of Abundant Life Ministries, to make interest and principal payments to earlier investors, and to pay other Treasure employees. On the same day the refund was deposited into the Mortons’ joint bank account, the couple took immediate steps to conceal the money, which included opening two new accounts, transferring over $360,000 to the two new accounts, and withdrawing $70,000 in cash.

After the cards have been purchased, the victim is asked to pay by sharing the code(s) on the back of the card with the caller over the phone. The scams are committed using many methods, including gift cards. Using the most recent browser ensures that the data is protected using the latest encryption technology. Computer frauds involve embezzlement or defalcations achieved by tampering with computer data records or programmes. They also analyze all this data and release information on crime trends to the member countries. Similarly, groups of cybercriminals are now commonly using formjacking – a new cyberthreat that steals credit card information. It’s possible for garbage to be turned into fuel gas and fuel oil with very little pollution by using a process called pyrolysis. Worldwide, cotton is also a pesticide-heavy crop, using approximately 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and 10 percent of the world’s pesticides. In 2014, it’s as high as 20 percent for people earning more than $400,000. I’ve happily handed my $3000 camera over to other people for a group photo. However, as is the case whenever any issue becomes topical, the reaction can sometimes be so zealous that the need for agencies to report impressive arrest numbers begins to take priority over the responsible prosecution of the crimes. However, that all depends on the circumstances of your case and your state’s laws.

The Medicaid Fraud & Abuse Division serves as the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Malware and Plugin Indicators Software Versions and Patch Levels User-Agent Spoofing Cross Checking User-Agent against Other Headers User-Agent Spam Indirect Access Services Google Translate Traces of Application Security Tools Common User-Agent Attacks Search Engine Impersonation Summary Chapter 8 – Request Header Anomalies Hostname Requests Missing Host Header Mixed-Case Hostnames in Host and Referring URL Headers Cookies Cookie Abuse Cookie Fingerprinting Cross Site Cooking Assorted Request Header Anomalies Expect Header XSS Headers Sent by Application Vulnerability Scanners Cache Control Headers Accept CSRF Deterrent Language and Character Set Headers Dash Dash Dash From Robot Identification Content-Type Mistakes Common Mobile Phone Request Headers X-Moz Prefetching Summary Chapter 9 – Embedded Content Embedded Styles Detecting Robots Detecting CSRF Attacks Embedded JavaScript Embedded Objects Request Order Cookie Stuffing Impact of Content Delivery Networks on Security Asset File Name Versioning Summary Chapter 10 – Attacks Against Site Functionality Attacks Against Sign-In Brute-Force Attacks Against Sign-In Phishing Attacks Registration Username Choice Brute Force Attacks Against Registration Account Pharming What to Learn from the Registration Data Fun With Passwords Forgot Password Password DoS Attacks Don’t Show Anyone Their Passwords User to User Communication Summary Chapter 11 – History Our Past History Repeats Itself Cookies JavaScript Database Internet Explorer Persistence Flash Cookies CSS History Refresh Same Page, Same IP, Different Headers Cache and Translation Services Uniqueness DNS Pinning Part Two Biometrics Breakout Fraud Summary Chapter 12 – Denial of Service What Are Denial Of Service Attacks? September saw a near tripling in volume with more than 15,000 new phishing and fraudulent websites being created for these top brands, with Microsoft, Apple and PayPal topping the list. Data has  be᠎en gener​ated  wi​th the help  of G SA Content G᠎en​erat᠎or D em​over sion᠎!

A top priority of Attorney General Kobach and the Medicaid Fraud & Abuse Division is the protection from crime of one of the most vulnerable groups of our population – the elderly and disabled. The Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division has statewide jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute allegations involving these areas of fraud and abuse. The Division also handles civil cases, most of which fall within the Kansas False Claims Act, K. S. A. Supp. The Attorney General’s Office works to protect Kansas citizens and the Kansas Medicaid program by identifying, investigating and prosecuting Medicaid provider fraud, as well as physical abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of dependent adults in residential care facilities and board and care facilities that receive Medicaid funding. This code of practice has been created for the purpose of ensuring that NHS organisations and suppliers have regard for their role and responsibility for preventing fraud, bribery and corruption in the supply chain. This quick guide has been developed to provide an understanding on contract splitting (also known as artificial disaggregation of spend) and how this practice increases the risk of fraud occurring in procurement processes by weakening control measures. This document covers actions staff should undertake to prevent and detect NHS credit card fraud and the control measures that should be in place to reduce the risk. Data w as created by G SA　C ontent G​en​erat᠎or D emoversion!

This document provides guidance for Local Counter Fraud Specialists and finance staff working in the NHS on the prevention and detection of the most common kinds of invoice fraud at a local level. The document focuses specifically on two areas of agency fraud risk, pre-employment checks and agency invoicing, and it provides a number of recommendations to help NHS organisations deal with these risks. Utility imposters may offer to connect their victims to federal assistance programs or payment plans to help pay their overdue bills. Anyone who asks you to pay an overdue electric or other utility bill via wire transfer, gift card, bank-to-bank transfer, bitcoin, or any other unusual payment method is almost certainly trying to scam you. DTE stating that my bill had not been paid and my services were going to be shut off and would not be turned back on for another week if I didn’t pay him in 40 minutes. This quick guide has been developed to provide an understanding of the fraud risks when buying goods and services directly from suppliers; particularly maverick spending where goods, services, or works are purchased outside of the purchase-to-pay (P2P) system or without using a purchase order number, and outside of a contract, framework, or from non-preferred suppliers. This quick guide has been developed to highlight the common fraud risks relating to the use of credit cards (sometimes referred to as purchasing cards) by NHS organisations. Credit cards have come a long way over the years in terms of payment security, and pretty much every credit card out there will have fraud protection. However, today the use of credit card information that is stolen is becoming more and more common.

This means transferring the IMEI number, which is a unique identifier for every mobile device, and potentially the service provider information stored on the SIM card. I was told to drive to a Speedway where I loaded $400 on to one card and $387.63 on the second card. The typical white van speaker scam involves one to three individuals, who are usually casually dressed or wearing uniforms. The guidance has been developed to support all types of commissioners and providers who are authorised to order prescription form stock. It can be used to support work to prevent, detect and investigate the most common kinds of payroll fraud at a local level. This document has been produced by the NHSCFA to provide Local Counter Fraud Specialists, procurement staff and finance staff working in the NHS with guidance to support work on the prevention and detection of procurement fraud and corruption at a local level. This guidance is intended for NHS procurement teams, who should share the document with the suppliers they work with. Updated in October 2022, the document provides an introduction to the subject area, an overview of the NHS invoicing environment, and practical advice on the most effective ways of tackling invoice and mandate fraud and how to manage the risk of social engineering. The document also provides details of how to report suspected fraud and corruption. It is intended to complement existing guidance and codes of practice and provides direction to suppliers on what is expected from them when engaging with the NHS. The document covers actions on how to control the practice and prevent fraud from occurring. The document promotes good practice in this area and covers the types of due diligence NHS organisations should be undertaking in their supplier arrangements.

Your report can help stop the scam. They may also ask you to stop in another country to pick something up. In many restaurants, you get free refills on soft drinks, so you may feel like you’re really getting a bargain. If the special pecan-encrusted salmon is $30, you might feel better about ordering the shrimp scampi at $25. They might say there was suspicious activity in your account, your bill is past due, your item couldn’t be delivered or that you were selected for a job interview. Never pay a fee to get a job. 2. Scammers say you need to pay a fee for a new Medicare card or you’ll lose your Medicare coverage. The scammer asks for your Medicare account number and uses your insurance to pay for things you never get or don’t need. As seen in the tweets above, one Cash App scammer convinced a user to sign up to both services. One of the best ways to block unwanted calls on a cell phone is to download a call-blocking app, which acts like a filter. “While we block millions of fake accounts at registration every day, we still need to focus on the would-be scammers who manage to create accounts. His films were so popular that you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has never seen at least one of them (even if they don’t know who John Hughes actually is). You don’t have to be a math genius to know this is a triple digit markup. But, did you know that your $1.95 soda is only costing the restaurant around 20 cents per serving? So, if you want a little value for your dollar, order the dessert and watch the restaurant work for it.

But, unless you order the omelet stuffed with crab and lobster, you’re probably spending too much. If you want shellfish, order the lobster, mussels or clams and leave the other fruits de mer out at sea. Another example where you might not get what you’re paying for is a seafood medley or fruits de mer (fruits of the sea) dish. We think that seafood is better quality, more exclusive and therefore worth the expense. To do this, they balance high-profit dishes like pasta or chicken (that cost less to buy and serve) against high-cost like seafood or beef, where the markup will be less. For example, a menu consultant might advise showcasing high profit dishes in the menu’s top right-hand top corner and including a price anchor — that extremely over-priced item that makes everything else look inexpensive. In Q3 of 2022, shipping company DHL took top spot, albeit with 22%, with Microsoft again in second place (16%) and LinkedIn coming in third (11%). It is possible that this trend could reveal the beginnings of a shift to phish more inexperienced users (like consumers), rather than targeting business leaders who may be more cyber-aware. Catherine the Great of Russia took a long series of lovers throughout her reign — despite rumors to the contrary, all of them were human. While all monarchs relied on advisers to some extent, those who took the crown while very young were assisted by regents.

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Even today, the House of Lords is made up of several dozen hereditary nobles and a large number of life peers who are appointed by the queen. Even the most tech-savvy people have been fooled by these cunning new frauds. People of noble heritage are called blue bloods, and for hundreds of years the ruling families of Europe have married almost exclusively within their pre-existing noble lines in an effort to keep the bloodline “pure.” The family trees are incredibly complicated and tangled. Very often, deposed and exiled royalty would return years later when monarchists had gained political power over republicans. Different countries have their own systems for deciding who is royalty and who isn’t, and these systems can change. Who are the Duke of York, Duke of Kent, etc., and how did they get their titles? That may seem like a huge scam, especially where ticket prices are concerned. ­In other countries, there may be several royal families, also known as houses. However, if no one in the current line meets the requirements of succession (the passing of the crown when the current king or queen dies or abdicates the throne), one of the other royal families could lay claim to the crown. This h as be​en c​reat​ed by GSA Con te nt Gen erator Dem ov er sion.

There are many services advertising on the Internet that claim to be able to change your identity completely and provide you with the supporting documentation. A pretender is someone who lays claim to a crown but doesn’t hold it. Contrary to what it may sound like­, a pretender to the throne is not a fake or illegitimate king (although he could be). Of course, the king could always do as he pleased, but it was a balancing act. The relatives of the king and queen who are themselves in line to take the crown someday are usually known as princes and princesses. When India was under British rule, the British named the rulers of Indian provinces princes to show that they weren’t equals with the British monarch. The regular meetings of dukes and bishops in England evolved into the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament. In fact, this is exactly what lead to the English Civil War and the temporary collapse of the British monarchy. In fact, the rules of succession could lead the crown to pass to a different family, or a different branch of the same family. Australia is part of the same agreement. Technically, Canada exists as a separate constitutional monarchy from Great Britain, but by agreement, their succession rules are the same, so they will always have the same queen. Although Scandinavian royals are known for a more down-to-earth style (they are sometimes referred to as “bicycle monarchies” for their habit of taking rides around public streets), the royals of Britain, Monaco and Morocco do their part to keep up the royal reputation for splendor. They may even be considered a part of the country itself.

U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank’s office is investigating the fraud with a group of other state and federal agencies. Of the approximately 2,500 scams reported to the U.S. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the bipartisan committee, released the list on Wednesday, along with a free, 40-page resource booklet aimed at educating and protecting seniors and their families. It also gives tips for identifying likely scams, encourages seniors to consult with family members before responding to any demand for money and provides instructions for taking action if people suspect they have been targeted. Senate Special Committee on Aging’s fraud hotline in 2015, the most prevalent involved harassing telephone calls from fraudsters identifying themselves as agents of the Internal Revenue Service and falsely accusing seniors of owing back taxes and penalties. Scammers are disguising themselves as all types of entities, including customer service personnel, department stores, big-name enterprises like Apple or Amazon or major phone carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. For example, you might receive one confirming a purchase that you didn’t make and tries to trick you into clicking on various links that look like contact information to Amazon’s customer service. Some fraudsters create fake accounts that they manipulate with software to make it seem as though an investor is making a return, encouraging them to invest more. This is a more specific example of a fake website and is a big problem. Research fraud is often viewed as a problem of “bad apples,” but Barbara K Redman, who spoke at the webinar insists that it is not a problem of bad apples but bad barrels if not, she said, of rotten forests or orchards. Health research is based on trust. Time to assume that health research is fraudulent until proven otherwise? Post　was c᠎reated with GSA C onte nt  Generato​r ᠎DEMO.

Stephen Lock, my predecessor as editor of The BMJ, became worried about research fraud in the 1980s, but people thought his concerns eccentric. Workers’ claims that were flagged as suspected fraud showed that payments would be made on the date “09/09/9999.” Some workers were paid last week or earlier this week, but the department said Thursday that people still seeing that date in their portals should email scans or photos of two forms of identification to the department’s secure email address. Security researchers, however, found that the attackers had fully taken over the victims’ accounts, and also changed the email address associated with the account to make it harder for the real user to regain access. Instead, it asks for an email address or phone number as the username, which triggers a request for a one-time use “login code,” also known as a one-time password (OTP). Unsolicited and nuisance phone calls: Typically in the form of recorded “robo-calls,” this scam uses computer technology to telemarket fraudulent products and services and gain access to victims’ personal information. Owner consent: The owner of the phone provides explicit consent for their device to be cloned. In her book Research Misconduct Policy in Biomedicine: Beyond the Bad-Apple Approach she argues that research misconduct is a systems problem-the system provides incentives to publish fraudulent research and does not have adequate regulatory processes. The resource booklet provides detailed information on each of these scams as well as eye-opening, real-life stories of con schemes, several reported by Mainers. In reality, the mark would be fleeing from his own money, which the con man still has (or has handed off to an accomplice). Whether through legitimate-looking emails with fake, but convincing website landing pages, or social media approaches, perhaps using a shortened URL, the end goal is the same for these con artists: stealing personal information.

Identity theft: Scammers gain access to victims’ Medicare, Social Security or financial information. While walking near the Eiffel Tower on a Saturday, we were accosted by three separate “Gold Ring” scammers within an hour. Scammers pretending to be government officials, aim to steal sensitive personal information and money. Hart, Matthew. How to Steal a Diamond. C141 Starlifter cargo planes carry the motorcade — including armored limos — to wherever the president is headed. You can put all kinds of assets into a trust, including savings accounts, stocks, bonds, real estate and personal property. Anyone who believes that their information has been used to fraudulently file an unemployment claim can submit a report on the state’s website. The reports of fraud are yet another barrier to the state’s efforts to provide economic relief to workers who have been laid off during the pandemic. Very few of these papers are retracted. It was perhaps coincidence, but a few weeks before the webinar the Cochrane Collaboration produced guidelines on reviewing studies where there has been a retraction, an expression of concern, or the reviewers are worried about the trustworthiness of the data. An editorial in the Cochrane Library accompanying the new guidelines recognises that there is no agreement on what constitutes an untrustworthy study, screening tools are not reliable, and “Misclassification could also lead to reputational damage to authors, legal consequences, and ethical issues associated with participants having taken part in research, only for it to be discounted.” The Collaboration is being cautious but does stand to lose credibility-and income-if the world ceases to trust Cochrane Reviews because they are thought to be based on untrustworthy trials. Roberts and others wrote about the problem of the many untrustworthy and zombie trials in The BMJ six years ago with the provocative title: “The knowledge system underpinning healthcare is not fit for purpose and must change.” They wanted the Cochrane Collaboration and anybody conducting systematic reviews to take very seriously the problem of fraud.

Although retractions are increasing, only about 0.04% of biomedical studies have been retracted, suggesting the problem is small. What, he asked, is the scale of the problem? IRS impersonation scams: Callers harass victims for unpaid taxes and penalties. Although they come in different flavors, in most cases the criminals committing romance scams study the profiles of their victims and collect personal information, such as their work activity, their level of income, and their lifestyle, because the mismanagement of our personal information in the digital age allows a criminal to build a fairly detailed profile of a future victim. It temporarily suspended payments last week due to a surge in fraudulent claims in which criminals used stolen social security numbers and other personal information to file a claim pretending to be a Maine worker. The Acting Inspector General of Social Security, Gale Stallworth Stone, is urging citizens to remain vigilant of telephone impersonation schemes that exploit the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) reputation and authority. These “IRS impersonation scams” top a list of the 10 most common scams reported to the committee last year. As he described in a webinar last week, Ian Roberts, professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, began to have doubts about the honest reporting of trials after a colleague asked if he knew that his systematic review showing the mannitol halved death from head injury was based on trials that had never happened. Many of the trials came from the same countries (Egypt, China, India, Iran, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey), and when John Ioannidis, a professor at Stanford University, examined individual patient data from trials submitted from those countries to Anaesthesia during a year he found that many were false: 100% (7/7) in Egypt; 75% (3/ 4) in Iran; 54% (7/13) in India; 46% (22/48) in China; 40% (2/5) in Turkey; 25% (5/20) in South Korea; and 18% (2/11) in Japan.