How to avoid being a victim of fraud

Beware of coronavirus scams

2020-04-04T22:01:00.001-05:00

New Fraud Tips
Beware of online and phone offers to help you. Many are scams.
If you have come across any suspicious e mails or text, send us a message at fraudprotectionideas@gmail.com and we will check it out for you.
You can also call (314) 643-6195 or (314) 701-9421 for free information

Everything you need to know about Tax Refund Fraud but didn't know who to ask

2017-04-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

New Fraud Tips

Do you know what to do if you become a victim of Tax Refund Fraud?

What do you do if someone steals your tax return?

First you need to know how it happened.

1. Your social security number, and personal information can be stolen while on an unsecured wi-fi connection, from your smartphone or tablet or by hacking a previous tax return that you filed.

2. It can also happen if your license or identification are stolen and you did not report it to the police.

3. Your W-2 can be copied while at your place of employment

4. You won’t know it happened until you attempt to file your return and it is rejected by the IRS.

Now that I know I am a victim, what do I do?

Report the Incident to the IRS (From IRS.gov website)

Tax Scams - How to Report Them

Participating in an illegal scheme to avoid paying taxes can result in imprisonment and fines, as well as the repayment of taxes owed with penalties and interest. If you become aware of any abusive tax scams, please report them to the appropriate contact below.

Reporting Tax Scams

Promoters of Abusive Tax Schemes or Preparers of Fraudulent Returns

Common abusive tax scams include anti-tax law, home-based business, trust, and off-shore schemes.

To report promoters of these scheme types or any other types you are aware of that are not listed here, please send a completed referral form,

along with any promotional materials to the Lead Development Center:

Mail:

Internal Revenue Service Lead Development Center

Stop MS5040

24000 Avila Road

Laguna Niguel, California 92677-3405

Fax: (877) 477-9135

Report the incident to your State Attorney General ID Theft/ Fraud Hotline.

Report the incident to the National ID Theft Database (www.ftc.gov/idtheft)

Check your credit report. You can get a free credit report from (www.annualcreditreport.com)

Call us at (314) 732-1189 or e-mail us at taxfraud@aiginv.com for a free consultation.

How can this crime affect me?

· You can wind up with a substantial cost to clear your name

· The information used on the fraudulent tax return can also be used to hack your bank accounts and credit

· The information can be used and sold on the internet to commit fraud crimes

· You can wind up under investigation for a fraud crime

Please take this threat seriously. Your financial security and reputation are at stake.

For more information about fraud crimes and how to prevent them, visit our website www.aiginv.com (mobile)www.m.aiginv.com

Our visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/fraudpreventionnetwork

We appreciate any comments or reviews that you have about our blog or services.

Thank you for viewing this blog.

Michael L. Abernathy

Fraud Prevention Network

A service of Abernathy Investigative Group LLC

T Rex Bldg. Suite 501

911 Washington Blvd.

St. Louis, MO. 63101
(314) 732-1189 (314) 643-6195 (888) 690-2890 (Fax)

Specialists in fraud prevention since 1997

2013-06-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

Did you know there is a new law to protect consumers from fraud and 98% of the consumers and businesses know nothing about it?
In January 2014 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be enforcing a new provision from the Dodd-Frank Act which requires businesses to have in place a system that detects and prevents fraud against consumers.
Any business that accepts a financial transaction is required to comply with these laws or be subject to fines and penalties.
The law is in place for the consumer to protect them from being a victim of fraud.
We are preparing a radio broadcast on www.blogtalkradio.com which will better explain these laws and regulations and will give you a chance to call in also with questions or comments. I will post the airning date and time shortly.

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: What is Electronic pickpocketing (RFID) fraud?

2013-04-08T06:33:00.001-05:00

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: What is Electronic pickpocketing (RFID) fraud?: New Fraud Tips This is a crime that can occur with no warning. It happens while you are shopping, socializing, or sitting in traffic. The ...

New Fraud Tips

What is Electronic pickpocketing (RFID) fraud?

2013-04-08T06:29:00.003-05:00

New Fraud Tips
This is a crime that can occur with no warning. It happens while you are shopping, socializing, or sitting in traffic. The target iis the microchip in your credit card, debit card, work ID, drivers license, and even your cell phone.
Q. How does this occur?
A. With the use of an RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) reader or a mobile app installed on a cell phone, the bad guy just needs to be close to you say within two feet. They aim the device in your direction and it extracts the information on the chip and transfers that information to a computer. They then use that information to enter your acounts and remove funds from your banking account and ID and use it to make illegal financial transactions including cleaning out your bank account.
Your work ID contains your personal information which they use to create or open accounts in your name and get merchandise from businesses.
After they "get their fill" from your information, that information is sold over the internet to be used around the world.
In the case of your cell phone, your "SIM card" keeps records of the keystrokes that you have input. Many people check their bank accounts and credit card balances over their cell phone and they use the keystrokes to access your accounts and clean them out.
Q. How do you know this has happened?
A.Usually you will be notified about suspicious transactions on your bank account or you will see abnormal activity on your credit report. In some cases you will get calls about unpaid bills that you never signed up for.
Q. What do I do next?
A. Notify the business that took the transaction and let them know that you did not make this transaction. Also notify your bank and credit card company and have the accounts closed and open new ones.
Q. Do I contact the police?
A. Yes you do but understand that you will have difficulty because you have to notify every police jurisdiction where the transaction occurred and file a report.
Q. What will happen if I don't take this action.
A. You can be held accountable for the balances and be subject to investigation and even arrest for the illegal transactions.
Q. I wouldn't know where to start or how to go about this. What can I do?
A. Companies such as Lifelock and Identity Guard offer some programs but you may still be responsible for filing police reports. We are offerring a service through our subsidiary the Fraud Protection Network for $95.00 a year where we do the leg work for you.This includes assisting with police report filing and also filing reports with your state attorney general and the Federal Trade commission ID Theft National Database. We then help to prosecute the offender. The $95.00 fee gives you unlimited service for a year.
We also offer products that prevent this type of crime from occurring. Here are some examples:

Credit debit card protective sleeve $19.99

Cell phone pouch- big enough for smartphones or Androids $31.99

Men's wallet/passport combo $70.99

Ladies Clutch $62.99

Ladies clutch $62.99

Leave us a comment on any concerns you have or any questions you have about the above products. We look forward to hearing from you.

Abernathy Investigative Group/Fraud Protection Network - Saint Louis, MO - 314-732-1189

2011-12-31T04:24:00.000-06:00

Abernathy Investigative Group/Fraud Protection Network - Saint Louis, MO - 314-732-1189

New Fraud Tips

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)fraud not only was a danger with the use of portable RFID readers, they can now download software and do it from their cell phone. Please visit by blog:fraudprotectionnetwork.blogspot.com or my twitter page: Twitter.com/fraudbuster1 for specifics on this new type of crime.
You can also visit www.fraudprotectionnetwork.net.
We appreciate your comments and questions

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: WTHR_The Risk inside your credit card

2011-06-12T16:29:00.000-05:00

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: WTHR_The Risk inside your credit card

New Fraud Tips

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: WTHR_The Risk inside your credit card

2011-05-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: WTHR_The Risk inside your credit card

New Fraud Tips

WTHR_The Risk inside your credit card

2011-05-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

New Fraud Tips
This is important information to protect you from fraud. Contact us for information on products that will protect you.

Could this happen to you or a loved one?

2011-03-01T03:06:00.000-06:00

New Fraud Tips
Imagine you lost an ID card or license or had them stolen. No big deal, you'll just go and get another one right?

Now imagine yourself driving from Memphis TN back to St. Louis after a weekend with friends.You get stopped by the Missouri Highway Patrol and a record check is ran on you. You are ordered from the car, placed under arrest, extradited to Edwardsville IL and are in jail for three days. You are arraigned for the charge of forgery and cashing a counterfeit check. You have to hire an attorney or accept a public defender.
What do you do next. Where do you start? You now have a criminal record.

How about another scenario?
You have your purse taken while washing clothes at a Laundromat. You file a police report, however you don' get your license changed. You get a traffic ticket and have to go to court in St. Louis city. They run a record check on you and find out that you are wanted in in St. Louis County municipality for forgery. Three days later you are transported from the city to the county and are booked and held for 24 hours in jail. You are then released pending warrant application. You now have a criminal record. Again what do you do, where do you start?

The final scenario
You have a relative or a friend that you look after. This elderly lady who is 84 years old has been telling you about these people calling about how she won some money but to get it you have to send a processing fee to Jamaica, and if you you do it right away you will get more sweepstakes money. You find someone who investigates fraud and tells them the situation. They begin to investigate but find out that your elderly loved one has drawn out her life's savings and either send it to Jamaica or has written checks to others in the United States that bought the identification information of the elderly person online through chat rooms. How would you feel? What do you do first?

These three scenarios are true stories about active investigations that we are handling. This could be you or a loved one.

The Federal Trade Commission has enacted rules that require businesses of all types to have in place a plan to prevent fraudulent transactions from occurring against you but I bet you never heard of it. The law was put into effect December 31,2010.
We are providing seminars and downloadable presentations to help you understand what you can do to protect yourself or a loved one.
Please go to our website: http://www.fraudprotectionnetwork.9f.com/ and learn what you can do to protect yourself. If any of these scenarios has happened to you or a loved one, go to our e-mail page and tell us what happened. We will then come up with a solution to the problem.
you can also contact us at www.twitter.com/fraudbuster1 or on facebook e-mail at fraudprotectionnetwork@facebook.com.

Beware of credit/debit card fraud during the Christmas shopping season!

2010-12-11T17:13:00.000-06:00

Beware of credit/debit card scams this holiday season!

The bad guys are becoming more high tech. Now your debit card and credit card information can be stolen while you walk around the mall shopping and there is no way you will know it happened until too late.

Many credit cards and debit cards have what is called a RFID chip which transmits a signal to a card reader giving you the ability to make a transaction wihout swiping your card. The bad guys are carryina a card reader that is about the size of an I Pad which steals the information from your card and they in turn can drain funds from your card with fraudulent transactions. There are solutions to this problem. please leave your e-mail address and we will provide you with some ways to prevent this.(protectyouridentity@abernathyinvestigativegroup.8k.com
You can also contact us at (314) 732-1189 (314) 877-8507 (Fax)
You can also contact us online for free at:
yahoo messenger voice call/mikelabernathy@sbcglobal.net
skype.com/michael.leslie.abernathy
Look out for your elderly relatives and friends!

We are also seeing an increase in fraud against the elderly. We would like to hear from you if you have an aquaintance or loved one who has been a victim of elderly fraud or if you are concerned that they may be victimized.

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: The FTC Red Flag Rule. How does it affect yor business?

2010-11-11T00:49:00.000-06:00

How to avoid being a victim of fraud: The FTC Red Flag Rule. How does it affect yor business?

The FTC Red Flag Rule. How does it affect yor business?

2010-11-10T17:08:00.000-06:00

On December 31,2010 the Federal Trade commission will enact a regulation that they have been attempting to enact for a few years. The Red Flag Rule will require businesses designated as "covered" businesses to provide a verifiable system of fraud detection and prevention that will protect consumers and vendors from fraudulent transactions. A partial list of those affected are:
Doctors and Dentist offices, Department Stores, Hospitals, Clinics,
Check cashing businesses, Payday Loans, Convenience Stores,
Utility Bill Payment Providers, Phone Service Payment Providers,
Cell Phone Service Providers, Business Accepting Online Payments, Checks By Phone, or In Person, Retail Establishments, Businesses That Allow Lay-Aways, Businesses That Accept Monthly Payments From Customers and Vendors, plus many more.
The Other regiulation that will affect businesses is the Fair Credit Reporting Act Safeguard Rule which bsaically states that you must have protective measures in place to safeguard client and vendor information so that it can't be stolen, or your computer system hacked into.
The biggest reasons for these regulations is the fact that ID Theft, Check Fraud, And Internet Fraud have become the top three crimes in America responsible for over $160 Billion dollars in losses per year.
The funds from these crimes are being used to fund drug trafficking and terrorism.
The crimes can be committed by the avergae person on the street to the large criminal network.
Failure to enact these rules can have a drastic effect on the financial standing of the United States.
There are other laws and regulations that interact with these rules, the U.S. Patriot Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and various regulations in the Uniform Commercial Code.
You need to first determine if your business is considered a "covered" business. However if you look at the partial list of "covered" businesses it may be a good idea to comply anyway.
It was suggested to me on Actseed.com that I present a "canned" package for businesses concerned about these rules. I think it is an excellent idea and I will have one to you shortly.
If you are starting a business or working to make your business emerge like me, it is recommended that you include these factors in your business plan.
I know that many of you may not have heard of these rules and you will be concerned about being in compliance.
The listed fine for a compliance violation is $1,000.00 per incident per day and can lead to restrictions in operating your businesses.
The requirement is not as scary as it seems. That is why we will be creating a system that takes the burden off of you. We are planning to roll out the prototype by February 2011 or sooner.
If you could, please send me a comment on your concerns and opinions, they will prove useful in the proper creation of this system.
You can visit my websites for further info:
http://www.abernathyinvestigationgroup.8k.com/
http://www.fraudprotectionnetwork.9f.com/
http://www.reputablebusinessnetwork.9f.com/
twitter.com/fraudbuster1
facebook.com/fraudprotectionnetwork
facebook.com/abernathyinvestigativegroupllc
fraudprotectionideas@gmail.com
Make sure you let us know if you want a private response or your comment made public.

Persevere Movie

2010-10-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

Persevere Movie: "Persevere. In my many years of business and life, I realize that there are quite a few things that separate the good from the great. But, if you asked me to only pick one reason why some or more successful than others, I would offer you this...your willingness to PERSEVERE."

Have you been a victim of fraud from selling items on Craigslist?

2010-09-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

Craigslist has become one of the most popular sites on the internet providing access for many different types of listings. It has also as a result become a place to commit fraud.
Craigslist is not responsible for the fraud. The fraud occurs when the seller of an item is contacted by an alleged purchaser.
A meeting is arranged, and the item sold. The seller is happy for the sale until they go to use the money they receive and find out it is counterfeit.
Proper reporting is necessary to prevent this problem. Here are some helpful tips:
1.When contacted, go to whitepages.com and run a reverse search of the phone
   number given.This can tell you who the phone is listed to, if it is a cell phone, or if
   it is unlisted. In many cases "burn" or disposable phones won't be listed.
2. Ask to meet at a public place like a restaurant or library. Not only is it a safety
    issue for you but many of these places have video surveillance and the suspect can
    be identified.
3. Have someone go with you. Two sets of eyes are better than one.
4. Don't change from the public location. If a person legitimately wants to buy they
    will make the transaction in a public place.
5. Check the money. Legitimate money will have the same width to the edges all
    around the bill. Check the denomination strip. Hold the money up in the light.
    You should see a strip of paper on the right hand side that describes the amount
    of the bill. Touch the numbers, treasury notes are heat sensitive and the numbers
    will change colors when heat is applied. Also check the bill coloring and compare
    it to a legitimate bill. There are other things to check on a bill. for more tips
   contact us at services@fraudprotectionnetwork.9f.com or visit our website.
6. Do not hand over the item until all these things have been done.
7. If you are buying an item make sure it works and that it has the model number and
   serial number. Do this with a witness.
8. Do not take checks. If it is not a good check, or if it is fraudulent or stolen, it will
    be difficult to get your money back.
You might want to check out our services page. Our members get many of these items verified as part of their membership.
We hope this information will help you to avoid some of the pitfalls associated with online buying and selling. Stay tuned for more helpful hints.
Michael L. Abernathy
Fraud Protection Network
Abernathy Investigative group LLC