Recent Debt Elimination Scams

I notice from listening to the news and seeing advertisements in newspapers that debt elimination/consolidation is a topic on everyone's mind due to the state of the economy. Having worked in telemarketing rooms in the past, I learned that there are reputable telemarketing organizations, but there are also numerous "boiler rooms" that promote and operate fraudulent programs, similar to the description below.

Debt elimination schemes generally involve websites advertising a legal way to dispose of mortgage loans and credit card debts. Most often, all that is required of the participant is to send $1,500 to $2,000 to the subject, along with all the particulars of the participant's loan information and a special power of attorney authorizing the subject to enter into transactions regarding the title of the participant's homes on their behalf. The subject then issues bonds and promissory notes to the lenders that purport to legally satisfy the debts of the participant. In exchange, the participant is then required to pay a certain percentage of the value of the satisfied debts to the subject. The potential risk of identity theft related crimes associated with the debt elimination scheme is extremely high because the participants provide all of their personal information to the subject.

If you feel that you've been victimized, or know of someone who has been a victim of this type of fraudulent operation, please don't hesitate, follow your instincts and please file a complaint on IC3.gov.

Update On Google Start-up Kit Scam

I've been looking into this since it was brought to my attention, if you've come across it DO NOT take part in it any way, it is definitely a malicious scam. I'm checking with a few old contacts to see if I can come up with any more information. In the mean time, here is the IC3 article about internet fraud.

Intelligence Note

Prepared by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

February 3, 2009

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Work-At-Home Scams

Consumers need to be vigilant when seeking employment on-line. The IC3 continues to receive numerous complaints from individuals who have fallen victim to work-at-home scams.

Victims are often hired to "process payments", "transfer funds" or "reship products." These job scams involve the victims receiving and cashing fraudulent checks, transferring illegally obtained funds for the criminals, or receiving stolen merchandise and shipping it to the criminals.

Other victims sign up to be a "mystery shopper", receiving fraudulent checks with instructions to cash the checks and wire the funds to "test" a company's services. Victims are told they will be compensated with a portion of the merchandise or funds.

Work-at-home schemes attract otherwise innocent individuals, causing them to become part of criminal schemes without realizing they are engaging in illegal behavior.

Job scams often provide criminals the opportunity to commit identity theft when victims provide their personal information, sometimes even bank account information to their potential "employer." The criminal/employer can then use the victim's information to open credit cards, post on-line auctions, register Web sites, etc., in the victim's name to commit additional crimes.

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

Incredible Heist Nets $65 million in Jewels

Stories like these just go to show there are still professional thieves out there operating on the highest level of sophistication and skill. I'll be keeping an eye on this story. Take a look if you haven''t heard about it, this is the article from the BBC:

The men were caught on CCTV as they entered the shop Robbers stole nearly £40m of items from a London jewellers in what police say was Britain's second biggest robbery. Two men with handguns threatened staff at Graff jewellers in New Bond Street on 6 August before taking 43 items. They dragged a female member of staff outside as they left the shop and fired a shot, although no-one was injured. CCTV images of the two men have been issued. The £40m haul is exceeded only by the £53m raid on a Securitas depot in Kent in 2006, a Met spokesman said. Det Ch Insp Pam Mace from the Flying Squad said: "This was a well planned robbery with a number of vehicles used to help the robbers escape. "These men are extremely dangerous and fired at least two shots in busy London streets as they made their getaway. "Someone knows who these men are, they would undoubtedly have spoken about it beforehand or boasted about it afterwards." The "smartly dressed" pair escaped in a blue BMW. They fired once while leaving the store and then again in Dover Street where they abandoned the BMW, police said. More than 40 items were taken The robbers then got into a silver Mercedes and drove into Farm Street where it is believed some of the suspects got into another vehicle, possibly a black Ford Galaxy or Volkswagen Sharan. One of the 43 items of jewellery stolen was a pair of white round diamond double-hoop earrings. A yellow diamond flower necklace, a platinum white Marquise diamond ring and a Chronograph men's watch were among the other pieces taken. The first suspect is described as white, about 30 years old, slim and between 5ft 10ins and 6ft tall. The other man is described as black, in his 30s, 6ft tall, more well- built than the first suspect, with very short hair. The same store has been targeted by robbers before. Jewellery worth an estimated £23m was stolen in a raid in 2003 when two Serbs armed with a revolver held up staff. And in 2007 jewellery worth as much as £10m was taken from a branch of Graff Diamonds in Sloane Street in central London by two men posing as customers.

Identity Theft Safety Tips

Identity theft has become a major U.S. crime. Thousands of people are victimized every year by ruined credit records and even resulting in criminal records under victim's identity. The FTC has said that identity theft has exceeded all other forms of fraud. Over nine million people were affected last year and thousands more don't even know they were hit.

INFORMATION:

1. Businesses Responsibility: Identity theft is not your boss's problem, however an employee struggling to get their life in order after being victimized will surely be distracted, wasting company time, using company phones, going to court, coming in late and leaving early to get their identity straightened out. It is estimated that the average victim spends more that 175 hours and up to $20,000 before restoring their identity. Employee training can help prevent this from happening.

2. Fundamentals: Just from a name, address, phone, birth date, Social Security (SS) number, mother's maiden name, bank account number, credit card number, driver's license, plate number or utility bill, a thief can make a few phone calls, do an online search and become you.

3. Little Defenses: Pick pocketing, shoulder surfmg and dumpster diving are covert ways of obtaining information. Registry clerks, medical filers, property management filers, bankers, utility company employees or any venue where you are required to give out your SS number for services are the weakest links in your ability to conceal , your ID. Dishonest employees have been known to sell lists of SS numbers for money. !

4. Going Postal: Postal address forms can be filled out and your mail redirected to a criminal's P.O. Box. Incoming and outgoing mail have everything a criminal needs. Credit card offers and loan applications have proprietary information that just requires a signature. Stolen mail might never be missed, giving the thief a head start.

S. Phone Fraud: Predators call congratulating you on winning prizes and trips, others say you hit their auto in a parking lot or they found something of yours with identity on it and ask you to confirm your SS number.

6. Head Start: On average it takes a person 12 to 16 months to realize they have been victimized. Some.thieves will payoff debt for up to a year to get larger increases on loans and credit cards, then cash in when the big loans and limits come in.

TIPS:

7. What to do: Here is just a sampling: develop a first-name basis relationship with the postal staff in your town. If they see something that doesn't make sense they may be the first to notify you. Get a locking mailbox. Never put outgoing mail in your mailbox. Go to the post office or use a secure mailbox. Get a shredder and shred everything with a name, account number or an address. Make an effort to pay all bills online and request online billing statements.

8. Pay Attention: Bills for items you never purchased, calls from credit card companies increasing your credit lines, calls from bill collectors looking for payments, mail for other people than yourself in the form of credit card statements or loans. An unusual amount of direct mail from a particular brand or product line can be a tell-tale sign of identity theft. This can represent a large purchase on behalf of the thief that has put you on a direct mail list.

9. Be Discreet: It is not necessary to give out your SS number as much as you think. Only give it out if it is absolutely necessary. Deal only with established vendors with solid backgrounds. Never give out your mother's maiden name unless absolutely necessary.

10. Credit Check: The Catch-22 in checking your credit report is that excessive inquiries into your credit lowers your scores, making you less able to get loans for cars or homes. However, quarterly, semi-annually or annually checking your credit will make you aware of activity regarding your SS number.

11. If Victimized: Contact the fraud departments of all three major credit bureaus and they flag your SS number. Cancel all credit cards affected by theft. Notify local authorities.

Jewel thief turns things around in retirement

March 25, 2009

Former burglar speaks to SUNY Cortland students about past, reforming himself after prison

Bob Ellis/staff photographer
George Feder, once one of America’s most wanted jewel thieves who now uses the knowledge he gained as a criminal for good, speaks on SUNY Cortland campus Tuesday night.

By ANTHONY BORRELLI
Staff Reporter
aborrelli@cortlandstandard.net

Every so often when George Feder passes by a jewelry store and looks through the window at the merchandise, he cannot help calculating what his take would be if he stole it.
He shrugs off the idea now, but over 30 years ago the temptation would have been too hard to resist.
Feder, 58, who lives in Florida, spent 14 years stealing jewelry from wealthy people there and at other locations around the country.
Captured by police in 1977, he spent about 10 years in the Florida prison system for grand larceny, conspiracy, possession of burglary tools and racketeering charges for importation of cocaine from South America.
Feder said his specialty was breaking into high-rise residences in broad daylight, simply by picking the lock.
Feder spoke to SUNY Cortland students Tuesday about his criminal career and the path he took after realizing prison was a place he never wanted to visit again.
“Very little is done in prison to rehabilitate people,” he said. “What it did was get me in great physical shape.”
Feder said he accumulated about $15 million during his criminal career, averaging about $1 million annually from jewelry thefts alone.
When anyone asked about his finances, he said he was “in real estate.”
In prison, the Internal Revenue Service seized Feder’s finances and paid off what he owed to victims.
Today Feder works as a security and criminal consultant for law enforcement officials around the country and has appeared on TV on America’s Most Wanted offering his expertise about criminal behavior.
He has worked as a crime prevention consultant for 12 years, speaking about how to properly protect homes from thieves, which he said is primarily how he earns his living.
Stuart Traub, a SUNY Cortland professor of criminology, grew up with Feder and asked him to speak with students.
Traub said his goal was to expose students to what really goes on in the criminal world. Students packed Brockway Hall’s Jacobus Lounge to listen as Feder described his experiences.
Feder said prison was a wake-up call for him to change his life, but he found his burglary habits quickly replaced by alcohol.
He became an alcoholic and enrolled in the 12-Step Program in Florida, eventually reforming himself.
Overcoming his obsession for stealing proved difficult because of how good it felt, he said.
“I became invincible mentally,” Feder said. “I was probably calmer committing that type of burglary than going to a movie.”
He said he sold the merchandise to jewelry dealers, Hollywood movie stars and executives, members of organized crime, as well as many others. Other criminals often recommended buyers to him.
When asked if he could name some of his buyers, Feder smiled and said he would not identify them.
Feder never carried a weapon or spent more than five minutes inside a residence during a break-in.
“I didn’t want to kill anybody,” Feder said.
Should anyone catch him inside, he said he would often have a story ready. Sometimes he would be disguised as a construction or maintenance worker.
“It was about the rush for me, I enjoyed it,” he said.
He evaded capture by not bragging about his thefts and spending money cautiously. Police began tracking him after a witness saw him try to break into a high-rise residence.
He said the secret to his success was portraying himself convincingly, adding people would believe whatever they wanted to see.
Growing up in Queens gave Feder his first glimpse at the temptations offered by organized crime. He idolized a local mafia figure, whom he would only identify as “Benny.”
His mafia contacts taught him about lock picking, and he learned various other tricks over the years.
“What put me on this path was me,” Feder said. “It looked good to a young, stupid kid.”
Feder’s first theft was stealing jewelry from an apartment in his Queens neighborhood. He was 16 years old.
He gained recognition by networking with mafia contacts he made while growing up, paying them percentages of the profits he made.
Feder believes now prison is not the best solution and advocates for spending on rehabilitation programs for inmates.
Most people resort to burglary and stealing out of desperation, he said. This is especially true of inmates who return to society and cannot find a job to feed their families.
“Not all people, but some, have to resort to doing whatever they have to do,” Feder said. “And not even many clean people can get jobs today.”
He told students expensive home security systems are not the best approach to keeping a home safe.
“A real thief would just cut the phone line,” Feder said.
A $15 door alarm that gives off a loud noise would be much more effective and probably keep a thief away because it attracts attention, he said.

George's Crime Prevention Tips

• The main objective of Crime Prevention is to reduce the opportunity for the crime to take place. Most measures required to protect your home are just common sense decisions that don't cost a lot of money.
• Some exterior residential doors feature hollow-core construction, which can be easily forced or kicked open. For additional protection you need solid doors with quality locks.
• Installing a wide angle peep hole allows you to see who is at your door before you open it
• Many burglars enter a home through sliding glass doors because it offers easy access. Locking mechanisms on these doors are not always secure and the doors can be lifted out of the track.
• Garage doors can easily be opened allowing a burglar access toy our home without detection. Any door leading from the garage to the interior of your home needs to be secured.
• Interior and exterior lighting is a key element in the prevention of burglaries. Inside your home, timers on your lights are recommended. Outside your home, bright lights should be located outside each doorway.
• Burglars don't like noise. A noisy dog is a good way to make them go someplace else. Alarm systems are good too, but they can almost always be defeated by the determined professional. Anything they can get their hands on, they can defeat.
• If you live in a condo or an apartment, remember the whole building is your home. Be sure that outside doors, stairwells, and common area are always secured. Make sure others within your complex do the same.
• For a home, tall bushes around the exterior can provide cover and easy access for burglars. Make sure all shrubs and bushes are below window level.
• Never hesitate to call the police if you see something that looks suspicious.
• Don't assume your valuables are protected in your hotel room. When traveling, it's better to use the hotel safe to protect these items.
• When traveling, dress inconspicuously and don't wear expensive jewelry. Leave the airport as soon as possible and don't advertise where you're staying. If you're taking a cab, wait until you're inside before announcing your destination.
• Every style of hotel lock - plastic card, magnetic card, and regular key - can be defeated. One popular key card system can be broken into using nothing more than a cut-up "Do Not Disturb" sign.
  

Walking Through Walls

A riveting, first-person account of George Feder’s picaresque career as America’s most wanted jewel thief. Dubbed “the Houdini of jewel thieves” by Miami police and the F.B.I., Feder’s chosen arena is the high-risk world of high-rise residences. Growing up in a Queens’s neighborhood where working stiffs and wise guys mingled and casual larceny was the norm, in adolescence Feder chooses his career path. By early manhood he finds Frankie, a psychotic master jewel thief; over a few years he persuades him to take him on as an apprentice. Under Frankie’s tutelage Feder learns the intricacies of stealing at altitude, along with introductions to elite Miami fences, corrupt attorneys and well-wired fixers throughout the United States. Reaping a fortune in stolen jewelry, Feder soon outgrows the demon ridden Frankie. After a fractious? parting he debuts as a solo act. For a decade he torments law enforcement in Florida, Chicago, California, New York and points between, seemingly walking through walls to carry off some of the finest jewelry ever made. With success comes wealth, arrogance and the admiration of lesser criminals along with a coven of voyeuristic hangers-on. Living extra large, a criminal superstar, Feder is hooked on the ultimate opiate of adrenaline. Success feeds his habit; increasingly brazen, he takes greater and greater chances to reap still greater rewards. His first arrest comes in a chance encounter with police. Charges are dismissed but Feder is a marked man, repeatedly arrested then allowed to post bond. Feeling cornered, Feder flees. Completely out of control, he escalates his activities, bringing more and more attention to his crimes and raising the odds against him still further. A final, supremely reckless attempt brings arrest in Chicago. To escape certain Federal time, he jumps bail and continues on the lam until he’s betrayed—by Frankie, his former mentor. By refusing to implicate others in his crimes, Feder spends a harrowing decade of hard time. Paroled and caring for aged and ailing parents, repentance and atonement come hard. After seeking solace in alcohol and cocaine, Feder bottoms out. Acknowledging that his unhappiness is caused by his own behavior, he seeks spiritual guidance, enters a 12-step program and turns his life around through sobriety, volunteer work and re-establishing a relationship with his estranged daughter. Rededicating his life to atone for his crimes, Feder works tirelessly to educate the public on ways to make their lives, families and homes safer from thieves. After inventing a pick-proof door lock, he emerges on the national stage through many appearances as a crime prevention expert and reporter on “America’s Most Wanted,” the Fox Network’s series.

This is a one paragraph “Executive Summary”/ “Film Treatment”

© George N. Feder 2008