Lottery fraud leads to charges in US, Jamaica
In the latest crackdown on international fraud, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has indicted seven people. They formed an organization to target unsuspecting Americans with a widespread "lottery scam" originating from Jamaica.
The charges were announced Friday by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh. It explained that the defendants used a sophisticated scheme in which they contacted victims and falsely informed them that they had won a large sum of money in a lottery.
In order to claim their winnings, victims were told they had to pay various taxes and fees, which were often evidenced by forged documents stamped by government agencies. The scam worked for a time, with the gang reportedly making at least $2.8 million.
Players
The suspects include Jason Plummer, Troy Williams and Tajay Singh, all from Jamaica, who allegedly used a variety of methods including phone calls, emails, and fake websites) to target victims. They instruct victims to send money, including cash, checks and money orders, to specific people to initiate the lottery application process.
The Jamaican trio are suspected of being the masterminds, but they did not act alone. The U.S. Department of Justice also charged Tashane Murray of Miramar, Florida; Clevon McKenzie of Mount Vernon, New York; Bridgeport, Connecticut Gizelle Byfield of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Daniel Reed of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Some of these money mules are themselves unsuspecting victims who have been tricked into facilitating the transfer of funds for the scammers. Others, including Byfield and Reed, volunteered to participate in the scheme and actively received and laundered the stolen funds.
The illicit proceeds were then moved through a network of bank accounts and money mules, ending up in the hands of masterminds in Jamaica. Authorities believe the gang used the stolen funds to maintain a lavish lifestyle and further their criminal activities.
According to the release, the FBI Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations played a key role in solving the fraud problem. They are also supported by a variety of national and international agencies, including the United States Marshals Service, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the National Intelligence Service, and others.
cost
Charges against the individuals include conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. The maximum penalty for each offense is 20 years in prison, a fine equal to twice the financial loss for each victim, or both, the release said.
A recent report from the Cybercrime Support Network shows that lottery fraud remains rampant in the United States. Citing data from the Better Business Bureau, the report noted that more than 460,000 Americans have fallen victim to lottery-related scams in the past three years. During this time, victims lost more than $330 million to scammers.
The Federal Trade Commission reported earlier this year that U.S. consumers lost a total of $8.8 billion to fraud and scams last year. This is a 30% increase from 2021, with lottery and sweepstakes fraud ranking fifth among all fraud categories.
Topping the list were investment scams, with more than $3.8 billion stolen.
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Source: www.casino.org
