Author Archives: virginiasmp

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)

In an update to an April 18, 2023, story, Paul Mansour was sentenced to two years in prison for submitting more than $1 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for prescription drugs that were never dispensed to beneficiaries. Read a Department of Justice press release.  Paul Mansour pleaded guilty to submitting fraudulent claims toContinue reading “Update: Pharmacist Sentenced to Two Years”

Jessica, an event planner in Massachusetts, was surprised to discover last December that her 74-year-old mother, Joyce, was deep into text conversations with someone Jessica had never heard of. “My heart was racing,” she says, describing what she was thinking after seeing the Google chat exchanges on her mom’s phone on that Christmas Day. “IContinue reading “How to Keep a Loved One With Cognitive Decline Safe From Scams”

Those who enter sweepstakes and lotteries always await that special phone call notifying them that they’ve won big! Unfortunately, scammers know just how to play into our emotions and are tricking people into paying for prizes they haven’t actually won. BBB has received several reports of phone calls that impersonate Publishers Clearing House to BBBContinue reading “Don’t fall for this sweepstakes scam impersonating Publishers Clearing House”

Some student loan debt relief companies will lie and say they’re affiliated with the Department of Education when they’re not. They want their bogus claims of “guaranteed” loan forgiveness (for a fee) to seem more legitimate (they’re not). (Read More)

In an update to a February 16, 2024, story, Kareem Memon was sentenced to eight years in federal prison. Read a Department of Justice press release.  Kareem Memon admitted his role in a multimillion-dollar durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme after previously pleading guilty to carrying out a COVID-19 fraud scheme and being a felon inContinue reading “Update: Felon Sentenced in DME Kickback Scheme”