Intelligence Brief
The Call-Back You Choose
The FTC says it is not calling to deactivate your phone number. One simple habit works against that call and its many cousins.
The Visitor Is the Clue
A man sentenced to 14 years met an elderly victim nearly a dozen times, in different cars. The family could not have known the script, but they could have noticed the visits.
Where the $248,000 Went
A Connecticut indictment follows one retirement withdrawal through five bank accounts and a copier wholesaler. The first step looked like ordinary banking.
Why Gold Keeps Coming Up
Pennsylvania State Police describe callers who tell people to turn savings into gold to "clear their name." The purchase may be the only moment a bank sees.
Why a Fraud Lifecycle Works, and How to Use One
A lifecycle turns a pile of warning signs into a sequence. This week's cases show how to match what you actually see to where a scheme is in its run.
A Rule for Paying a Fee Over the Phone
A Mississippi sheriff's office warned this week of callers saying a $50,000 arrest warrant could be settled for $5,000. A household rule that takes an afternoon to agree.
When the Money Leaves in a Shoebox
An 82-year-old in Florida handed $18,400 to a stranger who said she worked for a federal agency. How to bring up money with a parent without taking over.
Told to Buy Gold to Protect It: 168 Months for an Augusta Courier
DOJ's primary release shows the victim was walked through buying cryptocurrency and gold before the courier arrived. Each purchase was a transaction someone else could see.
Arrested at the Door: A Gold Courier Stopped Before the Second Pickup
Michigan deputies caught a courier walking up to an elderly woman's home to collect $60,000. She had already lost nearly $500,000, including $237,000 in gold coins.
The Moment Is the Handoff
Four federal sentences landed this month for the same crime - a stranger collecting cash or gold at an older adult's door. That handoff is the clearest warning sign a family will get.
What 'Safekeeping' Sounds Like
A guilty plea in California puts a courier's script on the record, and the key word is one a teller or adviser can hear.
A Text About a Purchase, Then Three Pickups
A Reno courier received 45 years in a case that began with a link and ended with cash and gold at the door.
When the Call-Back Confirms the Lie
Callers posing as federal agents now use real agents' names from spoofed real office numbers, so checking with the office no longer settles anything
A Government Permit Invoice Scam Crosses County Lines
Two county governments this month reported the same phishing mechanism — a real case number, a fake domain, a demand to pay by wire.
A County's Own Arrest Log Became a Targeting Tool
Scammers mining public jail rosters to identify a defendant's family, then calling to demand bail money, has now surfaced in three counties this year — and one sheriff just pulled the list