Author Archives: virginiasmp

If you meet someone on social media or a dating website or app, how can you tell if their profile is real? They say they’re in the military — but scammers especially like to pose as military servicemembers stationed overseas. What’s the best way to spot a fake? (Read More)

In an update to a November 7, 2023, story, Gustavo Kinrys was sentenced to over eight years in prison. Read a Department of Justice press release.  Psychiatrist Gustavo Kinrys, who owned and operated Advanced TMS Associates, was convicted of billing Medicare and private insurance companies for over $11 million in treatments he did not provide andContinue reading “Update: Psychiatrist Sentenced to Over Eight Years”

As Michael Bruemmer, 65, shopped for a Christmas tree at a Kiwanis lot near his Austin, Texas, home, a voter registration volunteer approached him with an iPad, wanting to register him for the next election. The registration ploy was a scam, but unbeknownst to the scammer, Bruemmer was not an easy target: He’s a fraudContinue reading “Four Common Election Scams to Avoid This Year”

Use caution when hiring a home improvement contractor, especially following a major storm, flood, or weather event when many homeowners are trying to repair their homes. However, contractor scams can happen anytime, so be wary of high-pressure sales tactics, upfront fees, and fly-by-night businesses. Con artists will take homeowners’ money and deliver (or not deliver) less than qualityContinue reading “Home improvement scammers take money, don’t complete work”

Wondering if you need an international license to drive in a country you’re visiting? Every country has its own rules for visitors who want to drive. In some, like Canada, your U.S. driver’s license is all you need. Other countries require you to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). Scammers try to confuse you with fake IDPsContinue reading “Planning to drive in another country? Here’s how to avoid International Driver’s Permit scams”

Five individuals were arrested on criminal charges related to their roles in a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $15 million through sham hospice companies and then to launder the fraud proceeds. According to an indictment, three of the defendants misappropriated the identifying information of doctors, claiming to Medicare that the doctors hadContinue reading “Five Arrested in Hospice Case”

Linda Khandro, 77, is a scientist, educator, musician and artist in Seattle who found herself in an anxious frenzy last September, packing up three gold bars in an unmarked box that she then placed in the backseat of a car parked across the street from her home — a courier who was picking up her lifeContinue reading “Many Scammers Now Ask for Payment in Gold Bars”

Utility scams happen any time of year, but will typically pop up during extreme cold or heat events when many people are more likely to need their heat or air conditioning. Scammers may impersonate water, electric, and gas company representatives, threatening residents and business owners with deactivation of service if they don’t pay up immediately. (ReadContinue reading “Utility impostor scam”

With so many people on social media, it’s no surprise that scammers are there, too. A scammer might, for example, send you a message on Facebook, LinkedIn, or WhatsApp offering a chance to invest in cryptocurrency. But there’s no investment opportunity — just a scammer trying to take your money. (Read More)