Latest news with #creditCardFraud
CTV News
08-07-2025
- CTV News
Kingston, Ont. police say suspect accused of damaging moving vehicle also found with stolen items
Kingston, Ont. police say an individual who was arrested last month in connection with damage to a moving vehicle is also suspected in several thefts. According to police, an unknown person threw something at a car on Portsmouth Avenue at around 7:30 a.m. June 23, which damaged the passenger side windows of the vehicle. With help from a dashcam photo, police found the suspect the next day on Princess Street. Police allege the suspect was found with a bicycle and a credit card that were previously reported stolen. The individual was also wanted by the Brockville Police Service for failing to appear in court, police said. The 44-year-old suspect is facing charges of mischief, possession of property obtained by crime, and possession of a credit card obtained by an offence.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Muskogee police reports 07.03.25
Burglaries 545 N. Sixth St., July 1, illegal entry without permission. 4422 W. Okmulgee Ave., July 1, property removed from vehicle. Thefts 236 Kendall Blvd., June 19-30, credit/debit card used by someone other than account holder. Walmart, 1000 W. Shawnee Bypass, June 30, shoplifting. Taco Bell, 2402 E. Shawnee Bypass, June 30, deception. Vandalism 2404 Love St., June 28, property.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New audit flags more than $200,000 in spending by former LAFD union president
The parent organization of the Los Angeles Fire Department's labor union has doubled down on allegations that the union's top official failed to properly document hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card transactions. The International Assn. of Fire Fighters, which oversees the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, suspended President Freddy Escobar and two other union officials last month over 'serious problems' with missing receipts identified in a wide-ranging audit going back to 2018. Auditors reexamined their findings after Escobar showed up to UFLAC headquarters last month — news cameras in tow — with a thumb drive and stacks of photocopied receipts that he claimed would clear him. Read more: Top LAFD union officers suspended after audit flags $800,000 in credit card spending In a letter last week reviewed by The Times, the IAFF's auditors concluded that even with the new materials, Escobar failed to properly document more than $212,000 worth of credit card expenses. They said they were not provided full access to UFLAC's internal expense system for their first report and said Escobar engaged in a 'flurry of activity' to reconcile the transactions in recent months. In the months after auditors left UFLAC's offices in December 2024, Escobar directed his staff by email to look for missing receipts, according to the letter. "Escobar — with the assistance of UFLAC staff — worked feverishly to reconcile some of his past credit card expenditures," IAFF General President Edward Kelly and General Secretary Treasurer Frank Líma said in a note this week to the local union's members. Of the 1,974 Escobar credit card transactions auditors recently reviewed, totaling $312,985, only 889, or $100,824 worth, were fully documented with receipts and a business purpose, the auditors' letter said. The initial audit reviewed 1,957 of those transactions, which amounted to $311,498, and found that only 428, or $45,635, were properly documented. 'Our conclusions set forth in our May 1, 2025 audit report remain the same,' the auditors wrote in the letter. 'It appears that Escobar repeatedly failed to comply with his fiduciary duties and obligations, and proper controls were not in place for compliance with state and federal laws and regulations and UFLAC policies on expense reimbursements and expenditure of UFLAC funds due to lack of receipts and documentation of business purpose.' Neither Escobar nor his attorney immediately provided comment. Read more: Suspended LAFD union president disputes allegations of missing receipts: 'I've been unjustly accused' The initial audit had also found that two other UFLAC officials — former Secretary Adam Walker and former Treasurer Domingo Albarran Jr. — together made more than $530,000 in credit card transactions with no receipts or partial documentation. Auditors did not reexamine those findings in the new report. Under UFLAC policy, receipts are required for all credit card expenditures, along with an explanation of the expense, including the names of those present and the business reason. Vice Presidents Chuong Ho and Doug Coates also were suspended and accused of breaching their fiduciary duties in 'failing to enforce UFLAC policy.' After the audit, the IAFF appointed a conservator, John Bagala, to take over the union and 'restore responsible financial stewardship and guarantee the fulfillment of UFLAC's legitimate objectives." Bagala is a state representative for the IAFF and president of Marin Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1775, which represents firefighters in Marin County. In a statement Thursday, IAFF spokesperson Ryan Heffernan said the conservatorship is focused on implementing safeguards to prevent future financial mismanagement. "During this temporary conservatorship, the IAFF remains focused on meeting members' critical needs and protecting their hard-earned dues money," he said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Japan Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Beware of dubious websites offering cheap rice, consumer watchdog warns
With rice prices in Japan still at sky-high levels, some consumers have turned to websites offering discounts as a way to cut cost — only to end up getting scammed. The Consumer Affairs Agency on Tuesday raised the alarm on the existence of fraudulent websites claiming to sell and deliver discounted rice, warning consumers that they could end up empty-handed. In a typical case, a consumer who purchases rice from such a website ends up waiting for shipments that never arrive, and attempts to contact the company in charge of the delivery become an exercise of futility. Last month, a man tried to purchase a bag of rice for ¥3,899 ($27) via an ad on a smartphone app. But when he placed the order, he got a receipt for a pair of sunglasses. Neither the sunglasses nor the rice was delivered to him, the agency said. In another case, a man in his 20s used his credit card to order two 10-kilogram bags of rice on a website for ¥4,050 — about a quarter of the retail price. But he became suspicious when he didn't receive a confirmation email. When he tried calling the number listed on the website, it was an unused number. The agency advises consumers to look up the names, addresses and phone numbers of companies that claim to sell rice at unusually low prices to determine their legitimacy before making any purchase. The average supermarket price of a 5-kg bag of rice rose to a record ¥4,268 in the week starting May 5, more than double what it was the same time last year. A week earlier, the average price experienced an ever-so-slight dip of ¥19, which raised a glimmer of hope that the supply chain bottleneck was beginning to show signs of improvement. The government has been auctioning off rice from its emergency stockpile since March to help bring down prices. But farm ministry data released Tuesday showed that out of the 210,000 metric tons of rice sold to distributors in the first two rounds of bidding, only 10% had reached the market in the span of a month. Although around 209,000 tons have been auctioned to distributors, only 54,645 tons have made it to wholesalers and 22,303 tons to retailers or restaurants, the data showed. The other 1,000 tons remains in storage. In the third auction, which took place in late April, around 97% of the rice offered went to the National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations — similar to the results of the two earlier auctions.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ICE Barbie Kristi Noem's purse snatcher used her credit card to spend just $15 at an unusual location
Prosecutors are building their case against those accused of stealing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's bag and using her credit card. As Noem dined with her family on Easter Sunday, the alleged theives made off with her purse, including her passport, DHS ID, wallet and $3,000 in cash which was to be gifts for her grandchildren. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host, signed an indictment Thursday naming Mario Bustamante Leiva and Cristian Montecino-Sananza. The document includes findings from federal prosecutors and demands the forfeiture of the stolen goods or anything derived from their sale. Bustamante Leiva is alleged to have robbed Noem at The Capital Burger in Washington, D.C. before going to Angolo Ristorante Italiano, a local Italian restaurant, and racking up a bill. Pirro is now demanding he pay up. According to the U.S. Attorney's indictment he spent $15.40. However, a Department of Justice file on the case alleges he racked up a bill just over $200. Images of the illegal immigrant in that file show him with Noem's Gucci bag at the bar. Dubbed the 'ICE Barbie' for her many law enforcement-related looks, Noem has a taste for designer. Though the secretary has a full Secret Service security detail, no one saw Bustamante Leiva, who was wearing a mask at the time, drag the secretary's bag away from her with his foot before picking it up and walking out, according to the DOJ. Bustamante Leiva, 49, admitted to authorities after his arrest that he is homeless and an alcoholic. According to the DOJ he 'made a total of five purchases using [Noem's] American Express credit cards in the amount of $205.87,' at Angolo Ristorante Italiano. They allege that after a night out drinking he fell asleep on some patio furniture close to the Georgetown bar until the following morning. Pirro is accusing the pair of multiple counts of wire fraud, aiding and abetting, aggravated identity theft and robbery. The indictment also alleges the accused have a habit of snatching purses and later spending the money found in them. In another theft days before stealing Noem's bag, the criminal pair stole a purse, bought a $500 Visa gift card, purchased several nights at multiple hotels, trips on the D.C. metro and more, the legal document alleges. In total there are nine counts cited in the indictment in addition to two forfeiture allegations. Pirro, a longtime host of the Fox News show 'The Five,' was sworn in as interim U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., this week after Trump pulled his nomination for Ed Martin after the Senate expressed reluctance to confirm him. 'I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,' Trump wrote on social media announcing the nomination last week. The indictment filed Thursday is one of Pirro's first official actions in the new role. She will oversee all federal crimes in the nation's capital.
