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Police & Fire
Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says
Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says Police in the region are warning of an automated sex extortion scam that is targeting residents through emails. Undersheriff Eric Chaboy of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said that scammers are acquiring emails and personal information on the so-called “Dark Web” and feeding it into what appears to be an artificial intelligence (AI) program that automatically contacts potential victims. Earlier report - Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know According to Chaboty, the program claims in an email that the victim has been looking at pornogra…

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by Kathy Reakes
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
Business
Dow Drops 1,000 Points: US Stock Market In Free Fall, Wiping Away Trillions In Capital Dow Drops 1,000 Points: US Stock Market In Free Fall, Wiping Away Trillions In Capital
Dow Drops 1,000 Points: US Stock Market In Free Fall, Wiping Away Trillions In Capital Investors hoping the major dip in the stock market last week was just a blip were greeted with even more losses on Monday, Aug. 5, as fears of a recession and global turmoil sent stocks tumbling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,200 points at one point but closed 1,000 down. The S&P 500 dropped more than 3 percent and the Nasdaq fell 3.4 percent.  The massive sell-off began on Friday after a US jobs report showed that employer hiring in July had slowed more than analysts had predicted. Investors were already on edge over fears the US Federal Reserve had left interest ra…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say
Scammers Posing As Well-Known Businesses, Agencies: Here's What To Know, Feds Say Federal authorities are sounding the alarm over scams that impersonate well-known businesses and government agencies.  In 2023, data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alone show more than 330,000 reports of business impersonation scams and nearly 160,000 reports of government impersonation scams. That amounts to nearly half the frauds reported directly to the agency, the FTC said. Combined, reported losses to these impersonation scams topped $1.1 billion for the year, more than three times what consumers reported in 2020. Reports show an increasingly blurred line between busine…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Murder-For-Hire: Man Admits Paying $16K Bitcoin To Have NY Residents Killed Murder-For-Hire: Man Admits Paying $16K Bitcoin To Have NY Residents Killed
Murder-For-Hire: Man Admits Paying $16K Bitcoin To Have NY Residents Killed A Utah man has admitted to paying thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin to arrange for the murders of two New York residents. Christopher Pence, age 43, of Cedar City, Utah appeared in Albany federal court on Wednesday, Dec. 6, and pleaded guilty to using the internet to solicit and pay for murder. According to prosecutors, Pence admitted to contacting the administrator of a website dedicated to arranging contract killings in 2021. He confessed to paying them $16,000 worth of Bitcoin to facilitate the murder of two Hoosick Falls residents in Rensselaer County. Pence gave the administrato…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Duo Planned Westchester Home Invasion Robbery For Tens Of Millions In Bitcoin, Feds Say Duo Planned Westchester Home Invasion Robbery For Tens Of Millions In Bitcoin, Feds Say
Duo Planned Westchester Home Invasion Robbery For Tens Of Millions In Bitcoin, Feds Say Two men have been apprehended after federal authorities say they planned to commit a home invasion robbery for tens of millions of dollars in bitcoin in Westchester. Federal officials announced the unsealing of an Indictment in White Plains Federal Court on Friday, June 24m charging the duo with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery in May 2020 in Irvington-on-Hudson.  Dominic Pineda, age 21, of Manassas, Virginia, and Shon Morgan, also age 21, of Centreville, Virginia, were arrested on Thursday, June 23 in Virginia. From May 18, 20200 to May 24, 2020, they participated in the plan…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam
Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam A Hudson Valley man was among four charged in an 11-count indictment for allegedly stealing more than $40 million in investor funds as part of a cryptocurrency scam, federal authorities announced. On Tuesday, March 8, US Attorney Breon Peace announced that four owners and operators of online cryptocurrency companies - including one from Dutchess County - are facing a host of charges for allegedly running a sophisticated scheme to steal from investors and later attempting to obstruct justice as they were being investigated. Those charged, according to the US Attorney’s Office: Gregory Agg…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Beware Of These Five New Scammer Tactics, Utility Companies Warn COVID-19: Beware Of These Five New Scammer Tactics, Utility Companies Warn
Covid-19: Beware Of These Five New Scammer Tactics, Utility Companies Warn With the United States crossing a grim milestone as the COVID-19 death toll topped 500,000, utility companies are cautioning about new scams that have arisen in the past year as opportunistic fraudsters look to take advantage of the pandemic. Utility companies across the country have issued alerts regarding new scams as they seek to allow their customers to protect themselves from scammers exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak. According to officials, one of the largest threats involves scammers aggressively threatening to disconnect service, claiming that bills are past due, unless a payment is…

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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: Cybercriminals Using New Sextortion Tactics Amid Pandemic COVID-19: Cybercriminals Using New Sextortion Tactics Amid Pandemic
Covid-19: Cybercriminals Using New Sextortion Tactics Amid Pandemic The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has provided cybercriminals the opportunity to get creative with their “sextortion” tactics as they exploit the pandemic, according to reports. In the past, criminals have targeted their victims by claiming they have embarrassing, salacious video proof, typically from a webcam, of a person watching sexual content. The scammers then seek to extort immediate payment in bitcoin or gift cards, threatening that otherwise, the alleged content will be disseminated on the Internet. However, according to new information released by the cybersecurity analysi…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
COVID-19: Alert Issued For Scam Involving Blackmail Threat Over Release Of Private Video COVID-19: Alert Issued For Scam Involving Blackmail Threat Over Release Of Private Video
Covid-19: Alert Issued For Scam Involving Blackmail Threat Over Release Of Private Video With more and more people working from home during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, law enforcement agencies are warning of a new online blackmailing scheme. There have been reports of a new scam that involves an email from a scammer to a victim claiming that they are in possession of recorded webcam footage of the victim watching pornography. According to police, the scammer implies that he has malware/remote access to a victim’s computer to record video. The suspect then threatens to share the alleged footage with the victim’s Facebook friends and family unless the victim pays the…

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by Zak Failla
News
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website Men from Connecticut and New York are among those charged in the takedown of the largest Darknet child pornography website. Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, was indicted this week for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child exploitation market by volume of content, officials said. Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea and is currently in custody serving his sentence in South Korea.   An additional 337 site users residing in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jers…

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by Zak Failla
News
Warning Issued By FBI For Blackmail Threats Involving Porn Surfing, Infidelity Warning Issued By FBI For Blackmail Threats Involving Porn Surfing, Infidelity
Warning Issued By FBI For Blackmail Threats Involving Porn Surfing, Infidelity The FBI has issued a warning as a result of blackmail threats that involve porn surfing and infidelity, officials say. The newly emerging scam is typically initiated when a scammer sends an anonymous email claiming that they have uncovered evidence showing that the recipient committed adultery or watched pornographic materials. The “blackmail scam” proceeds when the scammer threatens to reveal the evidence to the recipient’s spouse, family and friends and demands payment in exchange for keeping quiet. In an extra effort to stay anonymous, the scammer typically demands payment through bitc…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Alert Issued For Fraudsters Posing As Con Ed Employees In Westchester Alert Issued For Fraudsters Posing As Con Ed Employees In Westchester
Alert Issued For Fraudsters Posing As Con Ed Employees In Westchester Although the holiday season may be over, police in Westchester are warning local residents to be wary as opportunistic fraudsters have been making the rounds posing as Con Edison employees. The Eastchester Police Department issued an alert this week cautioning that scammers have been pretending to be Con Ed employees, utilizing a myriad of scams to take advantage of area customers. Investigators said that the latest scam involves smart meters, which were introduced to New York in 2017. Police said that customers should be aware that Con Edison does not require a deposit for the installatio…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Westchester Business Owner Targeted During National Bomb Threat Scare, Police Say Westchester Business Owner Targeted During National Bomb Threat Scare, Police Say
Westchester Business Owner Targeted During National Bomb Threat Scare, Police Say A Westchester business was one of the hundreds targeted nationwide last week as part of a bitcoin bomb threat scheme that made the rounds through email. On Thursday, Dec. 13, law enforcement officials investigated hundreds of bomb threats that targeted schools and businesses nationwide, including several in New York and Connecticut. Officers from the Scarsdale Police Department were dispatched to Fox Meadow Road on the day of the bomb threats, where a victim reported that she had received an email to her “Songs for Seeds” business account. Police said that in the email, the suspect stated …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Sandy Hook Elementary Receives Bomb Threat On 6th Anniversary Of Massacre Sandy Hook Elementary Receives Bomb Threat On 6th Anniversary Of Massacre
Sandy Hook Elementary Receives Bomb Threat On 6th Anniversary Of Massacre Sandy Hook Elementary School students were sent home Friday morning after the school received a bomb threat on the sixth anniversary of a mass shooting that left 20 first-graders and six educators dead. School personnel reported the threat to Newtown Police around 9 a.m. Friday, said Lt. Aaron Bahamonde. Police went to Sandy Hook School to investigate the threat and it is currently being investigated by members of the Newtown Police Department, he said. "The school was safely and orderly evacuated for precautionary reasons and so that a thorough sweep of the school could be performed," Ba…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Hundreds Of Bomb Threats Sent To Schools, Businesses In Area, Nation Hundreds Of Bomb Threats Sent To Schools, Businesses In Area, Nation
Hundreds Of Bomb Threats Sent To Schools, Businesses In Area, Nation Fear and panic spread across the country on Thursday, as a bomb threat asking for thousands of dollars in bitcoin payment made the rounds through a series of emails. Law enforcement officials are investigating hundreds of bomb threats that targeted schools and businesses nationwide on Thursday, Dec. 13, including several in New York and Connecticut. According to reports, multiple Hudson Valley businesses were targeted and those threats were also deemed not credible. “Please be advised - there is an email being circulated containing a bomb threat asking for bitcoin payment. While this email…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Hiding Something From Your Spouse? Don't Fall For This Scam Hiding Something From Your Spouse? Don't Fall For This Scam
Hiding Something From Your Spouse? Don't Fall For This Scam Are you hiding something from your spouse?  If so, don't fall for a generic form blackmail letter going out to residents in New Canaan, elsewhere in Fairfield County and across the region. A Daily Voice reader received one and shared it with us.  The letter, which was addressed by name to the recipient, is pretty threatening in the way the blackmailer gets right to the point about anything salacious or even illegal the person may have done in the past and is hiding. "I'm going to cut to the chase," it begins. "I know about the secret you are keeping from your wife and every…

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by Kathy Reakes