The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) continues to receive reports from individuals who have received extortion attempts via e-mail related to recent high-profile data thefts. The recipients are told that personal information, such as their name, phone number, address, credit card information, and other personal details, will be released to the recipient’s social media contacts, family, and friends if a ransom is not paid. The recipient is instructed to pay in Bitcoin, a virtual currency that provides a high degree of anonymity to the transactions. The recipients are typically given a short deadline. The ransom amount ranges from 2 to 5 bitcoins or approximately $250 to $1,200.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

The following are some examples of the extortion e-mails:

“Unfortunately your data was leaked in a recent corporate hack and I now have your information. I have also used your user profile to find your social media accounts. Using this I can now message all of your friends and family members.”

“If you would like to prevent me from sharing this information with your friends and family members (and perhaps even your employers too) then you need to send the specified bitcoin payment to the following address.”

“If you think this amount is too high, consider how expensive a divorce lawyer is. If you are already divorced then I suggest you think about how this information may impact any ongoing court proceedings. If you are no longer in a committed relationship then think about how this information may affect your social standing amongst family and friends.”

“We have access to your Facebook page as well. If you would like to prevent me from sharing this dirt with all of your friends, family members, and spouse, then you need to send exactly 5 bitcoins to the following address.”

“We have some bad news and good news for you. First, the bad news, we have prepared a letter to be mailed to the following address that details all of your activities including your profile information, your login activity, and credit card transactions. Now for the good news, You can easily stop this letter from being mailed by sending 2 bitcoins to the following address.”

Fraudsters quickly use the news release of a high-profile data breach to initiate an extortion campaign. The FBI suspects multiple individuals are involved in these extortion campaigns based on variations in the extortion emails.

If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, you should reach out to your local FBI field office, and file a complaint with the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. Please include the keyword “Extortion E-mail Scheme” in your complaint, and provide any relevant information in your complaint, including the extortion e-mail with header information and Bitcoin address if available.

Tips to protect yourself:

• Do not open e-mail or attachments from unknown individuals.
• Monitor your bank account statements regularly, as well and as your credit report at least once a year for any fraudulent activity.
• Do not communicate with the subject.
• Do not store sensitive or embarrassing photos of yourself online or on your mobile devices.
• Use strong passwords and do not use the same password for multiple websites.
• Never provide personal information of any sort via e-mail. Be aware, many e-mails requesting your personal information appear to be legitimate.
• Ensure security settings for social media accounts are turned on and set at the highest level of protection.
• When providing personally identifiable information, credit card information, or other sensitive information to a website, ensure the transmission is secure by verifying the URL prefix includes https, or the status bar displays a “lock” icon.

The FBI does not condone the payment of extortion demands as the funds will facilitate continued criminal activity, including potential organized crime activity and associated violent crimes.

The Arkansas Insurance Department announced that two guilty pleas have been secured in relation to property theft and insurance fraud charges. The cases were handled by AID’s Criminal Investigation Division

On May 17, Courtney Lawrence of Malvern pleaded guilty in Hot Springs County Circuit Court to one count of insurance fraud.  Lawrence was sentenced to three years probation, a $1,000 fine, and court costs.

In October 2012, a fire destroyed the home belonging to Lawrence and her then-husband, who divorced shortly after the fire. Nearly two years later, Lawrence submitted a receipt for $2,611.58 from a Hot Springs business to State Farm Insurance for the replacement of furniture destroyed in the fire.

http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html

In an attempt to verify the claim, a State Farm representative determined the hand-written receipt was a fabrication as the business only generated computer receipts and that Lawrence did not appear in its database.  When confronted with this information, Lawrence admitted to purchasing the furniture off a truck and that the driver wrote out the receipt.

On May 5, Kimberly Chambers of Hector plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of theft of property in relation to a fraudulent insurance claim.

In January 2013, Chambers reported someone entered the home she owned with her then-husband through an unlocked window and stole several items, including four pistols, hand tools, jewelry, coins, clothing, and a small document safe. Farm Bureau issued a check for $3,334.85 to settle the loss claim.

In 2014, Chambers admitted to a Farm Bureau representative in Russellville that there was an actual burglary at her residence, but she had listed items that were not actually stolen to cover her policy’s deductible and make a profit.

Chambers was sentenced to one year of probation, an $850 fine, court costs, and ordered to pay full restitution to Farm Bureau Insurance.

A Pike County inmate who escaped custody and stole a vehicle has been captured.

The man was on a work release from the Pike County Detention Center when he escaped Wednesday morning, according to authorities.

http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php

Officials say Nicholas Shook, 22, took off in a black pick up truck.

Shook was captured by KSP a short time later and now faces additional charges.

A 22-year-old Port Angeles woman was arrested Sunday for investigation of theft and other crimes for allegedly running up charges on a credit card that did not belong to her, court papers said.

Heather Nicole O’Hara was released from the Clallam County jail on her personal recognizance Tuesday.

She was ordered to reappear in court Thursday.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

The alleged victim told Sequim police that she likely dropped her wallet in the J.C. Penney parking lot April 29, police said.

The woman learned that her Walmart Mastercard had been used fraudulently 13 times at six Sequim locations on or about April 29, police said in the affidavit for probable cause.

The fraudulent charges added up to $1,157.35, police said.

Police developed probable cause that O’Hara was the suspect and arranged a Sunday meeting.

O’Hara admitted that she made some of the transactions, saying the card had been given to her and that she did not know it was stolen, according to the arrest report.

O’Hara was booked into the Clallam County jail for investigation of second-degree organized retail theft, second-degree possession of stolen property, second-degree theft, identity theft and forgery.

The Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will consider filing formal charges Thursday.

A Lexington pizza restaurant has been burglarized for the second time in three days.

The robbery occurred at the Brooklyn Pizza near Keithshire Way around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Officials say the restaurant’s doors were smashed in the latest incident.

http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php

The same location was robbed early Sunday morning.

Police say the door was broken with a rock and some cash was taken.

Investigators say they believe they have a suspect from Sunday’s burglary but no arrests have been made.

Police are searching for a man who carried out a gas station robbery in Lexington.

It happened around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Marathon on South Broadway.

Police say a man walked into the gas station with his face partially covered and demanded cash.

http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php

According to officials, a clerk was pistol-whipped by the suspect after struggling to open a cash register.

The suspect fled with an undetermined amount of money.

Police dogs tracked the person of interest near the Man O’ War Place Apartments but lost his scent. He remains at large.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Police on Tuesday issued an endangered person advisory for a man who suffers from schizophrenia and went missing Monday night.

Marquise Lewis, 25, was last seen at the 9000 block of Cranberry Lane in unincorporated north St Louis County at about 11:30 p.m. after he left home after an argument. He has not been seen or heard from since, police said Tuesday evening. He is without his medication for schizophrenia and may become violent and paranoid without it.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Lewis is black, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 150 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and a dark complexion. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, a black jacket, a red backpack, black jeans, and white shoes.

If anyone has seen him, call 911, the nearest police department, or St. Louis County Police at 636-529-8210.

Hartford man faces multiple charges after he allegedly used stolen credit cards at a Windsor department store.

According to police, July 2015 Anthony Harris. 29, of Hartford was captured on video surveillance at the Target in Windsor using stolen credit cards to buy over $1,000 in merchandise through several transactions. The credit cards were stolen out of a card in Westport.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

Authorities say, on May 27th, Westport detectives responded to Norwalk Superior Court to serve an arrest warrant on Harris who was appearing for an unrelated charge.

Police state that Harris is charged with identity theft (impersonation) and conspiracy to commit identity theft. He was arraigned on May 26th.

To help safeguard your identity, the FBI offers the following tips to keep your identity safe:

(Source: fbi.gov)

• Never throw away ATM receipts, credit statements, credit cards, or bank statements in a usable form.
• Never give your credit card number over the telephone unless you make the call.
• Reconcile your bank account monthly, and notify your bank of discrepancies immediately.
• Keep a list of telephone numbers to call to report the loss or theft of your wallet, credit cards, etc.
• Report unauthorized financial transactions to your bank, credit card company, and the police as soon as you detect them.
• Review a copy of your credit report at least once each year. Notify the credit bureau in writing of any questionable entries and follow through until they are explained or removed.
• If your identity has been assumed, ask the credit bureau to print a statement to that effect in your credit report.
• If you know of anyone who receives mail from credit card companies or banks in the names of others, report it to local or federal law enforcement authorities.

A Boyle County man has been found guilty on all six counts of an indictment charging various child exploitation offenses.

On Thursday, a federal jury in Lexington, Ky., convicted 54 year-old Mark Andrew Morris of two counts of producing child pornography, two counts of distributing child pornography, and one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography.  The jury returned its verdicts after approximately 35 minutes of deliberation, following two days of trial.

According to evidence presented at trial, Morris used a hidden camera to record a minor female engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  The evidence further revealed that Morris had downloaded numerous images of child pornography from the internet.

http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

The investigation started when an investigator with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Unit discovered images of child pornography being made available through a peer to peer (P2P) network on the internet.  The investigator collected the child pornography images, obtained the subscriber information for the Internet Protocol (IP) address, and traced the source of the images to Morris’s computer.  In June 2014, a search warrant was conducted at Morris’ residence and authorities found the child pornography images on his computer and other electronic media.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Howard Marshall, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Andy Beshear, Kentucky Attorney General, jointly made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Office of the Kentucky Attorney General, Cyber Crimes Unit, and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Marye prosecuted the case on behalf of the federal government.

Morris is scheduled to be sentenced on August 29, 2016.  Production of Child Pornography carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years; receipt and distribution of child pornography carry a minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years; and possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.