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Cybercrime

Police & Fire
CT Sex Offender Admits To Child Porn Charge, Faces Decade In Prison: DOJ CT Sex Offender Admits To Child Porn Charge, Faces Decade In Prison: DOJ
CT Sex Offender Admits To Child Porn Charge, Faces Decade In Prison: DOJ A registered sex offender in Connecticut admitted to child porn charges this week and faces potentially decades in prison, federal authorities announced.  Travis Tilley, 41, of Naugatuck, pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material on Thursday, March 6, the US Attorney for Connecticut said.  He was convicted of similar charges in 2019 in state court and released in 2022, records show.  Tilley was serving 15 years probation, and during an unannounced visit to his home, his probation officer seized his laptop and found more of the offending material, the federal…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Norwalk Senior Citizen Scammed Out Of $10K; Police Warn Of More Fraud Attempts Norwalk Senior Citizen Scammed Out Of $10K; Police Warn Of More Fraud Attempts
Norwalk Senior Citizen Scammed Out Of $10K; Police Warn Of More Fraud Attempts Police are urging residents to remain cautious after a local senior was scammed out of more than $10,000 in a sophisticated fraud scheme.  The scammer posed as a Microsoft representative and convinced the victim to withdraw cash from their bank account and deliver it in a package to an individual who later came to their home. A similar incident occurred in Milford last week, according to police, suggesting this scheme is targeting residents in the area. Authorities are warning the public to stay alert to scams involving supposed computer or software issues, particularly those requesti…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Child Porn With Kids As Young As 3 Found On Man's Computer: Police Child Porn With Kids As Young As 3 Found On Man's Computer: Police
Child Porn With Kids As Young As 3 Found On Man's Computer: Police A 61-year-old Connecticut man was arrested when an acquaintance contacted police after they found child sexual abuse material featuring very young children in his email account, authorities said.  Joseph Lachausse, of Stafford, was charged with seven counts of first-degree possession of child pornography, Connecticut State Police said, and he was being held on a $350,000 bond.  Earlier this year, Lachausse sought out inpatient treatment for sex addiction, and after he returned began attending regular Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings. During that time, he was working with someon…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know
Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know Authorities are warning the public of a nationwide automated scam in which scammers use people’s email addresses to coerce payments by intimidating them with threats of embarrassment. Victims of the "sextortion" scheme, usually children and teens, are manipulated to photograph or video material for extortionists. "After receiving the sexually explicit content from the child, the offender threatens to release that compromising material unless the victim produces additional explicit material," said the FBI in issuing the warning to parents, educators, caregivers, and children. In a sepa…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Destructive USB Flash Drives Are Being Mailed By Cybercriminals, FBI Warns Destructive USB Flash Drives Are Being Mailed By Cybercriminals, FBI Warns
Destructive USB Flash Drives Are Being Mailed By Cybercriminals, FBI Warns The FBI is warning that USB thumb drives are being mailed by cybercriminals in an attempt to lure recipients into plugging them into their computers and installing ransomware. Two different schemes are being used, says the FBI: The first contains a package that appears to come from the US Department of Health and Human Services that reportedly contains information on current pandemic guidelines.  The second comes as an Amazon gift box which contains a thank you letter, USB, and counterfeit gift card. Both packages contain USBs that when connected to a computer will send prec…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Don't Fall For Them: FBI Issues Alert For Online Shopping Scams Don't Fall For Them: FBI Issues Alert For Online Shopping Scams
Don't Fall For Them: FBI Issues Alert For Online Shopping Scams The FBI is warning the public of cybercriminals targeting shoppers hoping to take advantage of online bargains and hard-to-find gift items for the holidays. During the 2020 holiday shopping season, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 17,000 complaints regarding the non-delivery of goods, resulting in losses of over $53 million, the agency said.  It is anticipated this number could increase during the 2021 holiday season due to rumors of merchandise shortages and the ongoing pandemic. That's why criminals are busy finding ways to entice their victims in multiple …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
CT Woman Creates Fake Facebook Account To Harass Victim With Protective Order, Police Say CT Woman Creates Fake Facebook Account To Harass Victim With Protective Order, Police Say
CT Woman Creates Fake Facebook Account To Harass Victim With Protective Order, Police Say A Connecticut woman known for harassing her targeted victim repeatedly is being accused of going above and beyond to get to her once more, police said. Hartford County resident Stacia Lanway, age 61, of South Windsor, has been accused of creating a phony Facebook account in an effort to harass her alleged victim, who has been targeted repeatedly in the past, according to officials. Police said that an investigation was launched in December 2020 before Lanway turned herself in on Wednesday, Sept. 29 for allegedly using a fake account in her victim’s name, which she used to make harassing pos…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Details Emerge In Case Of Fairfield County Juvenile Accused Of 'Zoombombing' Class Details Emerge In Case Of Fairfield County Juvenile Accused Of 'Zoombombing' Class
Details Emerge In Case Of Fairfield County Juvenile Accused Of 'Zoombombing' Class A Fairfield County juvenile has been arrested for allegedly taking over a high school class through Zoom and using hate speech and vulgar language. Earlier report: Juvenile Used Racial Slurs After Remotely Breaking Into Newtown HS Class The teen was arrested on a warrant Friday, May 28, by Newtown Police for the cybercrime committed last Fall, said Lt. Aaron Bahamonde. The arrest comes after a six-month-long investigation of unknown people accessing Google Classrooms, at Newtown High School and using racial epithets, in an abusive and disruptive manner, said Bahamonde.  Accordin…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Juvenile Used Racial Slurs After Remotely Breaking Into HS Class In Fairfield County Juvenile Used Racial Slurs After Remotely Breaking Into HS Class In Fairfield County
Juvenile Used Racial Slurs After Remotely Breaking Into HS Class In Fairfield County A juvenile is facing several charges after remotely breaking into the online classroom of a high school in the region, and then using racial slurs, according to police. The incident happened in Connecticut in the fall of 2020. Late on Friday, May 28, in Fairfield County, members of the Newtown Police Department charged the local youth for cybercrimes. The arrest was made at the conclusion of a six-month-long police investigation, of unknown persons accessing Google classrooms at Newtown High School and using racial epithets, in an abusive and disruptive manner. School Resource Officer W…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Police Issue Alert To Area Residents For Screen-Sharing Scam Police Issue Alert To Area Residents For Screen-Sharing Scam
Police Issue Alert To Area Residents For Screen-Sharing Scam Police are warning of a new scam involving instances of fraud stemming from screen-sharing software that gives scammers access to personal computers and smartphones. The scams that involve remote access software being used to target devices, one of which was recently used on an area resident. Police said that a fraudster posing as a customer care executive from Amazon advised the victim that a “fraud alert” has been placed on their account. The victim acknowledged that they had an Amazon account but did not have the Amazon app on their phone. The fraudster took this opportunity to direct…

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by Zak Failla
News
Bitcoin Scammers Claim To Have Compromising Videos Of Victims Bitcoin Scammers Claim To Have Compromising Videos Of Victims
Bitcoin Scammers Claim To Have Compromising Videos Of Victims Bitcoin scammers have been threatening to expose sensitive videos of their victims if they are not paid off. Fraudsters have been sending spam emails that allege they have recorded video of “you getting yourself off,” which they threaten to expose if they are not paid off. The emails claim that the scammer is from out of the country, and cannot be targeted by local law enforcement. Related story - COVID-19: Cybercriminals Using New Sextortion Tactics Amid Pandemic Scammers allege that based on their potential victims’ visiting “bad” websites that infected computers with malware, they now …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: FBI Issues Alert For Fake Hiring Scams Targeting Individuals, Businesses COVID-19: FBI Issues Alert For Fake Hiring Scams Targeting Individuals, Businesses
Covid-19: FBI Issues Alert For Fake Hiring Scams Targeting Individuals, Businesses With millions of Americans looking for work or working from home due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the FBI has seen an uptick in fake job and hiring scams from opportunistic cybercriminals. Fraudsters have been leveraging their purported positions as faux “employers” to persuade victims into believing they had a new job in an effort to steal their personal information or to get them to send money. According to the FBI, “fake job scams have existed for a long time but technology has made this scam easier and more lucrative. Cybercriminals now pose as legitimate employers by spo…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Extortion Scam Involved Threat To Release Nude Photos Of Monroe Man, Police Say Extortion Scam Involved Threat To Release Nude Photos Of Monroe Man, Police Say
Extortion Scam Involved Threat To Release Nude Photos Of Monroe Man, Police Say An area man who was corresponding with an "alleged" woman online, found out the hard way not to send anyone nude photos when the woman attempted to scam him out of $2,000. Monroe Police are investigating the scam which was reported on Sunday, Oct. 27, after the man received the demand for money, said Lt. Stephen Corrone. Corrone said the man had been talking with the woman online for quite some time and had at one time sent her two $100 gift cards.  After the woman received the gift cards, the two exchanged nude photos, Corrone said. The man then received a screenshot on Facebook of …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Norwalk Man Sentenced For Defrauding Service Member Of $57K Norwalk Man Sentenced For Defrauding Service Member Of $57K
Norwalk Man Sentenced For Defrauding Service Member Of $57K A 35-year-old Fairfield County man has been sentenced after stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a United States service member to pay for personal expenses. Christopher Teixeira, formerly of Darien and now living in Norwalk, was sentenced in Hartford district court to six months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for stealing more than $57,000 from a former member of the U.S. Navy. The service member was scheduled to receive a medical severance payment from the Navy in January 2017, U.S. Attorney John Durham said. The victim provided his “MyPay” login and passwo…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Info Released On Darien Victim Of Nationwide Bitcoin Bomb Threat Hoax Info Released On Darien Victim Of Nationwide Bitcoin Bomb Threat Hoax
Info Released On Darien Victim Of Nationwide Bitcoin Bomb Threat Hoax A Darien wine shop was one of the thousands of businesses last week that received a bomb threat email that asks for Bitcoin currency. The incident took place around 1:36 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, when SipStirs, at 1053 Post Road, notified Darien Police they had received an email, said Darien Police. The complainant informed officers that he received an email from an unknown party indicating that an explosive device had been secreted at that address. The email stated that unless the recipient transferred $20,000 in Bitcoin currency to an account, the explosive would be detonated. Th…

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by Kathy Reakes
Lifestyle
Cell Phone Fraud On The Rise: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself Cell Phone Fraud On The Rise: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself
Cell Phone Fraud On The Rise: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself People all around the country are at a higher risk than ever of becoming the next victim of cell phone fraud, especially the elderly. The FCC defines cell phone fraud as, “the unauthorized use, tampering or manipulation of a cellular phone or service.” It comes in two primary forms, subscriber fraud and phone cloning fraud. Subscriber fraud occurs when a scammer signs up for a service with information obtained in a fraudulent way. Cell phone cloning fraud occurs when a scammer essentially reprograms a cell phone to transmit the signal associated with another legitimate device. While other…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Cybercriminals Targeting Online Payroll Accounts Of Employees, FBI Says Cybercriminals Targeting Online Payroll Accounts Of Employees, FBI Says
Cybercriminals Targeting Online Payroll Accounts Of Employees, FBI Says Cybercriminals are targeting online payroll accounts of employees in order to change bank account info and redirect direct deposits, according to the FBI. The federal government has received complaints reporting cybercriminals are targeting the online payroll accounts of employees in a variety of industries. Institutions most affected are education, healthcare and commercial airlines. Cybercriminals reportedly target employees through phishing emails designed to capture an employee’s login credentials, according to the FBI.  Once the cybercriminal has obtained an employee’s credentials, th…

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by Jon Craig
News
Beware Of This IRS Tax Scam, Police Warn Beware Of This IRS Tax Scam, Police Warn
Beware Of This IRS Tax Scam, Police Warn Officials with the New Canaan Police Department are warning employers and employees in Fairfield County to be aware of opportunistic IRS scammers who may attempt to scam residents in the area. In an alert issued on Monday, the department warned residents that “as you may be preparing and filing tax returns, be aware of IRS scammers,” who may attempt to intimidate vulnerable people over the phone with threats of arrest if one doesn’t pay with an iTunes gift card. Police said that under no circumstance should one provide a potential caller with any personal information and that one should han…

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by Zak Failla