How to avoid celebrity scams

The following is a sponsored post from Freedom Federal Credit Union. Celebrity scams prey on society’s trust in celebrities and the adulation many people have for the rich and famous. Unfortunately, celebrity scams are becoming increasingly common and can be challenging to spot. Here’s what you need to know about these scams and how to protect yourself from falling victim. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials warn of telephone scam

GRAND FORKS ND—A telephone scam is targeting residents nationwide in an attempt to gain banking information from unsuspecting residents. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers nationwide are continuing to receive numerous calls from residents concerned about unsolicited calls from scammers posing as U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. Residents are reporting the calls […]

Office of the Attorney General warns of text message phishing scam targeting Maryland unemployment insurance claimants

BALTIMORE, MD—The Office of the Attorney General is warning residents of a scheme in which fraudsters are impersonating the Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance in text messages. To remain protected from fraud, residents should access the BEACON claimant portal by visiting https://beacon.labor.maryland.gov/beacon/claimant-page.html directly, or by using the MD Unemployment for Claimants mobile app. Anyone who receives a […]

Maryland State Police, Department Of Labor warn of rise in unemployment insurance scams

BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland State Police and the Maryland Department of Labor Unemployment Division are tracking and combating illegal schemes in which fraudsters are impersonating the Division in email correspondence, text messages, and phone calls with the intent of stealing unemployment insurance benefits. The Department of Labor is coordinating with Maryland State Police to alert the public about these ongoing and […]

Attorney General’s office warns of direct deposit, payroll phishing scam

BALTIMORE, MD—The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division is warning Maryland residents of an attempted phishing scam involving direct deposit and payroll. Officials say a local payroll manager was contacted via email by someone impersonating an actual employee and asking for their bank account information for direct deposit to be changed. In fact, the scammer used a fake email to contact […]

Man who stole more than $16,000 in cryptocurrency, orchestrated SWAT attack pleads guilty to aggravated identity theft

BALTIMORE, MD—A Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft charges in connection with his involvement in a “SIM swap” and cryptocurrency theft scheme. Kyell Bryan, 20, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to the charges on Tuesday. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James […]

Maryland Department of Labor warns of unemployment claimant email scam

NOTTINGHAM, MD—The Maryland Department of Labor is warning residents of an email scam targeting unemployment insurance claimants. Anyone who receives an email similar to the one pictured below is urged NOT to respond.  Do not click on “Verify Account”. Clicking on the “From” field will likely reveal a fraudulent email address. All emails from Maryland’s Division of Unemployment Insurance will […]

Maryland authorities seize two domains attempting to mimic Walmart website, purporting to sell experimental COVID-19 treatment

BALTIMORE, MD—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has seized “http://pharmacywalmart.com” and “https://stromectol-ivermectin.com” which on June 16, 2021 resolved to “https://en.pharmacywalmart.com/buy-stromectol-usa.html.”  The websites contained numerous uses of the legitimate Walmart trademarked logo and appears to attempt to mimic a legitimate Walmart website. The fraudulent websites allegedly offers for sale a number of drugs for the experimental and unapproved treatment […]