Maryland State Police warn public of online scam involving sexual extortion of minors

EASTON, MD—Maryland State Police are reminding parents of online safety and to be aware of online scams involving the sexual extortion of minors. Authorities say they have received numerous reports of minors being contacted by other social media users who begin chatting with them via messaging services such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Social media platforms may provide users the […]

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 warn residents of ‘Grandparent Scam’

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland State Police are investigating multiple thefts from senior citizens who have been scammed into giving away thousands of dollars after being convinced their grandchildren needed money to be bailed out of jail. Authorities have received two reports of this scam since February 3. In these cases, the scammers stole $9,200 and $15,000, respectively from their victims. Commonly called […]

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 […]

FBI Baltimore warns of Valentine’s Day romance scams

BALTIMORE, MD—The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Baltimore Field Division is warning local residents of Valentine’s Day scams on the most romantic day of the year. In romance scams (also known as confidence scams), a criminal creates fake profiles on dating sites or social media platforms to trick victims into believing that they are in a trusting relationship—whether familial, friendly, or […]

Maryland partners with CFTC, 26 state securities regulators to stop $68 million precious metals scheme that targeted seniors

BALTIMORE, MD—The Office of the Attorney General’s Securities Division this week announced that it is participating in a multi-jurisdictional, coordinated enforcement action to stop a fraudulent precious metals scheme that resulted in investments exceeding $68 million from at least 450 investors nationwide. The Securities Division has joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and 26 other state securities regulators in […]

Attorney General’s office issues consumer alert regarding door-to-door COVID testing

BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Office of the Attorney General is alerting residents about individuals and labs offering door-to-door COVID testing. The individuals performing these tests promise prompt results but consumers have reported not receiving results several weeks after the initial test. Consumers have complained that they do not know how their personal identifying information is being secured. Consumers are advised to […]

Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office seizes domain name purporting to belong to U.S. Department of Labor

BALTIMORE, MD—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has seized “US-dolbids.com” which purported to be the official website for the United States Department of Labor. The seizure of the domain was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Cooper of the Division of Advanced Technology and Analytics, […]