"-Financial records in the leak show that, in four years, two groups of call centers based in Israel, Europe, and the country of Georgia raked in about $275 million from would-be investors.

- These operations have all the hallmarks of a massive scam: The call center agents use false identities, forged paperwork, and deceptive advertising; “investors” were systematically prevented from withdrawing their money; and almost all of the investment “products” on offer were unlicensed and had official warnings from authorities.

- Over 20,000 hours of leaked phone calls between scammers and their victims across dozens of countries give unprecedented insight into the brutality, efficiency, and global reach of the investment scam industry.

- Many victims are left penniless; some express suicidal thoughts. But the scammers — who adopt false identities and use software that can be manipulated to create illusory profits — keep coming back for more.

- The leaked files show the call centers are professionally run, with HR departments, corporate parties, and offices in slick office buildings. Marketing firms, payment service providers, and software companies enable their operations.

- The call centers have twisted corporate strategies, running leaderboards for top scammers and issuing performance-related bonuses — including a Rolex watch awarded after a particularly lucrative swindle."

https://www.occrp.org/en/project/scam-empire/scam-empire-inside-a-merciless-international-investment-scam

#Scams #Scammers #Fraud #CallCenters

Over 7,000 from scam centers in Myanmar are awaiting repatriation after crackdown

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/27/nx-s1-5311375/myanmar-scam-centers-crackdown

They are often lured under false pretenses to work in scam centers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, where they financially exploit people around the world through false romances, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

Many find themselves trapped in virtual slavery.

#MYANMAR #SLAVES #SCAMS #PRESS

Freed from Myanmar’s scam centres, thousands are now stranded

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yr7j18edjo

The armed militia groups who are holding them have a very limited capacity to support so many people – more than 7,000. One of them has said they have stopped freeing people from the compounds because they are not being moved to Thailand fast enough.

KEWL🌀NEWS

#MYANMAR #SCAMS #PRESS

Hundreds of people who are believed to have been trafficked across the Myanmar border to work in online scam centers have been rescued by Thailand’s army and will return to their home countries. Read more from @ABCNews@flipboard.com
https://flip.it/T6K0zo
#Myanmar #Thailand #Scams #HumanTrafficking #Asia

LA Fire Scams Are Rampant. Here's how to actually help those in need. See my YouTube or SoundCloud channels for links to worthy charities helping LA right now.

#LAFire #LAFires #Scams

https://youtu.be/mq5PwS3P2Xk

Daily podcast: LA Fire Scams Are Rampant. Here's how to actually help those in need. See my YouTube or SoundCloud channels for links to worthy charities helping LA right now.

#LAFire #LAFires #Scams #Charity

https://soundcloud.com/nickaesp/lar

😎"Sick of people calling everything in #crypto a #Ponzischeme. Some #cryptoprojects are #pumpanddump schemes, while others are #pyramidscheme. Others are just standard issue #fraud. Others are just #middlemen #skimming off the top. Stop glossing over the #diversity in the industry."😂

#BTC #Bitcoin #BitcoinFraud #CryptoScams #scams

Well, maybe they should not have given away how to easily fake a screenshot yourself, but still some useful tips to keep in mind. It helps to know what to zoom in on to look at.

I did not know about the Forensically app, which is a web based app that can analyse any image in depth and create heatmaps of stuff that’s been edited in.

See https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-check-if-a-screenshot-has-been-photoshopped
#Blog, #forensics, #scams, #technology

Hot on the heels of today’s report about some incredibly weak passwords that South Africans are using online, and then re-using across other websites, comes this warning now about very realistic looking fake online shopping sites that closely resemble the real brand.

We have Black Friday coming up, as well as the festive season, so everyone is looking out for bargains. We should never be clicking on links we receive over instant messengers or e-mails, but now you want to be doubly sure you are actually on Takealot, or whatever site you expect to be on.

I’d suggest you check the URL carefully before making purchases, and rather use your saved bookmarks to access sites you regularly use. Your password manager refusing to show a login, is also a sign you may be on a fake site.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/security/570114-online-shopping-syndicate-warning-in-south-africa.html
#Blog, #scams, #southafrica, #technology