TOWSON, MD—The Baltimore County Police Department is warning residents of a recent increase in scam phone calls. Specifically, police are warning of a scam whereby callers impersonate a grandchild – or another close relative – in a crisis and ask for immediate financial assistance. Authorities say these calls may appear to come from a trusted phone number, but are most […]
GREENBELT, MD—A Maryland man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a massive Ponzi scheme. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has sentenced John Erasmus Frimpong, 42, of Upper Marlboro, to 114 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud, in […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Office of the Attorney General is once again warning that businesses in Maryland have been receiving a letter entitled “2023 Certificate of Good Standing Request Form.” The letter requests a fee in exchange for a letter of good standing with an “official seal of the Secretary of State.” This letter is a scam and is the same fraudulent […]
WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are alerting the public of several nationwide imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be U.S. marshals, court officers, or other law enforcement officials. They are urging people to report the calls their local FBI office and file a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which has the ability […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Federal Bureau of Investigation says timeshare owners across the country are being scammed out of millions of dollars by companies promising to sell or rent the unsuspecting victims’ timeshares. In 2022, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received over 600 complaints with losses of approximately $39.6 million from victims contacted by scammers regarding timeshares owned in Mexico. […]
TOWSON, MD—The Baltimore County Police Department is warning residents of a telephone scam that is being reported in the area. Authorities say they are receiving reports of residents being contacted by scammers claiming to be Baltimore County police officers. The scammers then say they are collecting on a legal judgment. They provide a local phone number for an actual police […]
PIKESVILLE, MD—The Maryland State Police Cyber Task Force is warning consumers to continue to proceed with caution while shopping online to avoid potential scams this holiday season. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2021 report, non-payment or non-delivery scams cost people more than $337 million annually. Credit card fraud accounted for another $173 million in losses. Consumers can […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office is warning consumers about home warranty scam letters that are being sent to homeowners. These letters urge Maryland homeowners to renew a home warranty by claiming the current home warranty “may be expiring or may have already expired.” Even homeowners who have never purchased a home warranty are receiving […]