A jury in Springfield, Ohio, has convicted 83-year-old William J. Brock of murder for fatally shooting an Uber driver. Brock believed the driver was part of a scam to get $12,000 for a relative, fueled by deceptive phone calls. Authorities stated that the driver, Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, also fell victim to the scam, unaware of the threats Brock received. Brock’s attorney argued self-defense, but prosecutors asserted Hall was unarmed and posed no threat.
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Trump Mobile, a mobile service launched by the Trump Organization, has delayed the release of its $499 gold-colored T1 smartphone. The company, which licensed the Trump name, cited disruptions from the recent government shutdown as the reason for the delay. The “proudly American” device, marketed as a competitor to Apple and Samsung, was initially slated for release earlier in the year. Along with the phone, the service offers phone contracts and is selling used Apple and Samsung phones, capitalizing on the Trump brand.
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As part of an effort to combat rising fraud, the Singaporean government has implemented mandatory caning for scammers, with punishments of up to 24 strokes. These changes to the criminal law, which take effect on December 30th, supplement existing penalties like imprisonment and fines. Individuals involved in scams, including recruiters and those providing their personal information for fraudulent activities, are subject to this form of corporal punishment. The government has cited the concerning increase in scam cases, which accounted for a significant portion of reported crime between 2020 and 2023, as the impetus for these stricter measures.
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Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show, and that’s the core of the problem. Internal projections from late last year revealed that Meta anticipated raking in about 10% of its annual revenue, a staggering $16 billion, from running ads for scams and illegal goods. Think about that for a moment. This isn’t a small side hustle; it’s a major revenue stream.
Further investigation by Reuters uncovered a consistent pattern of failure. For at least three years, Meta has struggled to identify and stop a flood of ads that expose billions of users on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to various forms of fraud.… Continue reading
A growing number of customers are expressing dissatisfaction with the Donald Trump-branded watches sold by TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC, as evidenced by numerous negative reviews on Trustpilot. Many customers report issues such as delayed deliveries, non-receipt of purchased items, and unresponsive customer service, leading to accusations of a “scam.” Despite some positive reviews, the overall 2.8-star rating on Trustpilot suggests a pattern of over-promising and under-delivering. While the company claims to have many satisfied customers and dismisses the negative reviews as “fake news,” the customer complaints persist, highlighting a potential issue with the product’s distribution.
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered all-out diplomatic efforts to protect South Korean citizens in Cambodia following the alleged torture and death of a university student lured by a scam ring. The surge in kidnappings of South Koreans in Cambodia, fueled by promises of high-paying jobs that lead to forced participation in online fraud, has prompted an emergency task force for repatriation. Three Chinese nationals have been charged with murder in connection to the student’s death, while South Korea seeks a joint autopsy and plans to establish a direct police desk within Cambodia. Reported cases of kidnapping have increased significantly, leading to heightened travel advisories and growing diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
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A BBC investigation tracks the rise of sextortion, a growing online crime where victims, often teenagers, are blackmailed into sending intimate photos or videos. The investigation followed the digital footprint of a scammer who targeted US teenager Evan Boettler, leading to Lagos, Nigeria, where organized “Hustle Kingdoms” of scammers operate. These operations involve young men using social media to extort money from victims, sometimes incorporating traditional rituals and even deepfake technology to increase their success. Despite efforts from social media platforms like Meta, which claim to combat sextortion, critics argue these measures are insufficient, while reports of such crimes continue to rise.
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The Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in China has sentenced 11 individuals to death for their involvement in a billion-dollar criminal enterprise operating out of Myanmar, primarily involved in online scams and gambling, which resulted in the deaths of workers attempting to escape. The Ming crime family, linked to the infamous Crouching Tiger Villa, used its influence in the Kokang region to establish a network of illicit activities, including telecommunications fraud and prostitution. The crackdown, prompted by Beijing’s concern over cross-border crime, resulted in numerous arrests and the repatriation of over 53,000 Chinese suspects. The court’s decision reflects China’s intensified efforts to combat these criminal operations.
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Scammer posing as stranded astronaut convinces woman to send him $6,750 to buy oxygen, and it just boggles the mind, doesn’t it? You read this headline, and the immediate reaction is a mixture of disbelief, amusement, and a touch of despair. How could someone fall for such an outlandish story? It seems almost too ridiculous to be true, the kind of scenario you’d expect to see in a satire sketch, yet here we are. The scammer, by all accounts, gets points for sheer audacity and originality. It’s a testament to the scammer’s cunning that they concocted a tale so absurd, yet so effective.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood