Millville NJ, A Cumberland County, New Jersey, man was arrested today on charges that he allegedly defrauded more than 30 victims into wiring money to him and his conspirators after he and his conspirators met and wooed the victims on online dating sites, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Rubbin Sarpong, 35, of Millville, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider in Camden federal court.
NEWARK NJ, A South Carolina man was indicted today on charges that he defrauded at least 20 people by soliciting investments in a phony foreign currency trading scheme, Attorney for the United States Rachael Honig announced.
Thomas Lanzana, 51, of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, and formerly of New Jersey, was charged by indictment with two counts of wire fraud and one count of commodities fraud. He was previously charged with the same offenses by criminal complaint on Aug. 10, 2018.
NEWARK NJ, An Essex County, New Jersey, man was convicted for his role in a scheme to steal victims’ personal information, use it to obtain replacement credit cards and then use the cards to purchase high-value items from retailers, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Richard Adebayo, 42, of East Orange, New Jersey, was convicted June 27, 2019, on all counts of an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft following a nine-day trial before Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. The jury deliberated one day before returning the guilty verdicts.
Upper Saddle River NJ, Orange & Rockland customers are being hounded by a new round of persistent predatory phone calls from crooks trying to steal Orange & Rockland customers’ money.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report a South Broad Street resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters on June 14th to report a fraud. The victim reported an unknown actor contacted her by phone, identified themselves as a representative of the Department of Treasury and persuaded the victim into providing her social security number. The victim then realized the caller was attempting to scam her when the caller requested money to prevent arrest.
Clifton NJ, A Clifton, New Jersey, man admitted today to owning and operating a variety of household goods moving companies in New Jersey that systematically extorted hundreds of customers, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Rami Zubidat, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Ridgewood NJ, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this fraud alert to warn citizens of recent reports that publically available law enforcement telephone numbers, including those of DHS OIG Field Offices, are being used in a two-part spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country.
NEWARK NJ, One of the largest health care fraud schemes investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and prosecuted by the Department of Justice resulted in charges against 24 defendants – seven of whom were charged in the District of New Jersey – including the CEOs, COOs and others associated with five telemedicine companies, the owners of dozens of durable medical equipment (DME) companies and three licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving more than $1.2 billion in loss, as well as the execution of over 80 search warrants in 17 federal districts. In addition, the Center for Medicare Services, Center for Program Integrity (CMS/CPI) announced today that it took adverse administrative action against 130 DME companies that had submitted over $1.7 billion in claims and were paid over $900 million.
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office reminds you to be careful giving out information over the phone . The Ridgewood blog has received numerous emails from readers and alerts from many law enforcement agencies on phone scams . Phone scams have become an epidemic .
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office asks, Have you received one of these calls lately?
Ridgewood NJ, If you need tech help with your computer, where do you go? Most of us probably search online. But your online search can lead you straight to scammers who scare you into thinking your computer is in dire need of repair…and then sell you costly security software that you don’t need.
That’s just what happened in the FTC’s lawsuit against Elite IT Partners, Inc., which was announced today as part of a massive law enforcement sweep. According to the complaint, Elite bought key words on Google that let them target people searching for how to recover lost passwords. You’d fill out an online form and give your contact information. Then, says the FTC, Elite’s telemarketers would call and ask to get online access to your computer – supposedly to check for problems. Once they were in, the caller would show you fake “evidence” of viruses or other threats that, they said, had to be removed right away.
Glen Rock NJ, the Glen Rock Police Department reminds you that Public service, electric, gas and other utility scams continue to be reported to the GRPD. Please educate your friends and family. These cases are next to impossible to investigate and usually involve suspects outside the United States. Our best defence is helping others recognize the red flags and prevention. If in doubt, call the service company directly using a phone number off your bill or call the GRPD and ask us to take a look. These suspects use fear and pressure to try and demand you act without stopping to think a moment. If you feel uncomfortable, take a minute to check on what the person on the phone is telling you. This goes for anyone who comes to your home or business as well. High pressure tactics are designed to get people to act before thinking things through. Be safe.
Report Fraudulent Activity : If you think you may have been a victim of a scam, call us at 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) and then file a report with your local police
Ridgewood NJ, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this fraud alert to warn citizens of reports that DHS telephone numbers have been used recently as part of a telephone spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country. Spoofing is the deliberate falsifying of information transmitted to a caller ID display to disguise an identity.
Roselle NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a former site manager for a temporary staffing agency was sentenced to prison today for stealing $190,000 from the agency.
Xiomara Jovel, 47, of Roselle, N.J., was sentenced to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Joseph P. Donohue in Union County. Jovel pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2018 to second-degree theft by deception. She must pay full restitution to the former employer.
Trenton NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor today announced that a Bergen County man has been charged with insurance fraud and theft by deception in an alleged scheme to collect $17,048 in temporary total disability payment from his insurance company.
Ramdeo Ramsaran, 54, of Teaneck, was indicted on charges of second-degree insurance fraud and third-degree theft by deception in an indictment handed up by a state Grand Jury in Trenton on December 12.
According to the indictment, between August 2016 and July 2017 Ramsaran collected temporary total disability payments from Hudson Insurance Company by falsely claiming he was unable to work when, in fact, he was working.
Ramsaran allegedly made false statements and submitted, or caused to be submitted, fraudulent documents in support of that claim.
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000; third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000. The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Menjivar presented the case to the Grand Jury. Detective Wendy Berg coordinated the investigation.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Thompson thanked Hudson Insurance Company for referring the matter to OIFP.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Thompson noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.njinsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to a conviction for insurance fraud.
