[00:00:04] This is Scams and Cons News with Jim Grinstead In this week's news, a man cons people into letting him use their phones then drains their bank account of money And a Canadian scammer will go to jail for 10 years for $175 million email fraud in the US
[00:00:24] But we begin with the story of an Uber driver who was killed while delivering a package for a scammer WCMH reported the story The Clark County Sheriff's Office saying William Brock is charged with the murder of Lalitha Hall back on March 25
[00:00:38] The Sheriff's Office saying Brock received a scam call claiming a relative of his was in jail and needed money to get out While on the phone, Lalitha Hall, an Uber driver, was told to pick up a package at Brock's home
[00:00:51] When she arrived, the Sheriff's Office says Brock held her at gunpoint and demanded to know who told her to come to his house When she tried to leave, deputies say he shot her once, got into a scuffle and shot her two more times, killing her
[00:01:04] The Sheriff's Office says Hall had nothing to do with the scam Brock pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $200,000 bond Police have arrested a woman who was scammed into robbing a bank
[00:01:17] USA Today reports a 74-year-old Ohio woman is facing serious charges after allegedly robbing a credit union in an attempt to remedy her financial troubles And mayors of Hamilton, Ohio was arrested at her home after the Fairfield Township Police Department said she robbed an R Group credit union
[00:01:37] Authorities say Myers entered the bank and demanded money while displaying a handgun Police say they found the car mayors was allegedly driving during the robbery when they searched her home Mayors reportedly admitted to the crime when police arrived Detectives also discovered a handgun in Mayors vehicle
[00:01:56] Prior to this incident, Myers had no criminal history She's now been charged with aggravated robbery by the firearm and tampering with evidence, both of which are felonies
[00:02:07] Sergeant Brian Brakrosky of the Fairfield Police Department says Mayor's family told detectives she may have been the victim of an online scam before the robbery
[00:02:16] A man who said he was a performer approached a woman on a beach and asked to add himself to her Instagram account to help promote himself She said she supports local performers and handed over her phone Later when she looked at the phone
[00:02:33] I saw an email that said that I had $200 through Venmo to this stranger Police say the scam is not unusual and cautioned people about handing over their phones This is Scams and Cons News
[00:02:48] Okay, I'm busted. I'm not out on the porch enjoying the wonderful warm weather here in Nashville The cicadas are driving me indoors. I have limited grill time because I don't like cicadas landing on me No outside dining at restaurants I frequent
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[00:03:26] I could do it They have 35 different meals from which to choose That's right. You choose the meals. You're not stuck with whatever is delivered to your door It's summer so one of my go-to's is the tomato pork chop On rainy days, the Parmesan chicken is satisfying
[00:03:45] And there's something else I'm not the only one in Nashville that loves Factor I regularly see factor trucks on the streets delivering fresh food to my neighbors Clearly my neighbors are smarter than I thought If you're in a cicada infested area
[00:04:01] You may not be able to sit outside But you can still eat great food And I've got a great deal I can go towards suntan lotion when these damn bugs go away Head to factormeals.com slash scamsincons50 And use code SCAMSINCONS50 to get 50% off your first box
[00:04:19] Plus 20% off your next box That's scamsincons50 at factormeals.com slash scamsincons50 To get 50% off your first box Plus 20% off your next box while your subscription is active For more than 20 years Canadian patreus runner conned more than 1.3 Americans out of more than $175 million
[00:04:51] Through an elaborate mail order psychic scheme But his fraudulent premonitions never predicted the 10-year prison sentence he now faces Runner, a dual Canadian French citizen previously based in Montreal Ran his phony psychic mail operation from 1994 to 2014 Posing his renowned psychics Maria Duvall and Patrick Garin
[00:05:14] He sent millions of letters to vulnerable and elderly Americans Promising wealth and happiness in exchange for fees Despite his victims making dozens of payments totaling thousands of dollars Runner's psychic visions never materialized In a 2023 interview he claimed the scheme was just not moral rather than outright fraud
[00:05:36] In 2020 Runner was finally arrested in Spain and extradited to the United States He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted on 14 charges including mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering Four of Runner's co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme
[00:05:55] Which was operated at a Montreal using a network of shell companies While evading authorities Runner lived a lavish lifestyle in countries across Europe and Central America An elderly Florida woman is taking Bank of America to court over a multi-million dollar scam
[00:06:13] 67 year old Lynn Bucklid is suing the bank alleging negligence, breach of contract and violations of federal law According to a cyber litigation firm Bucklid lost $2 million from her accounts after following victim to a sophisticated scam
[00:06:30] The scheme started when Bucklid began receiving emails and phone calls from people posing as investigators from the Federal Trade Commission These con artists told Bucklid that her social security number had been compromised and they needed to look into her finances
[00:06:45] One of the scammers even went so far as to send Bucklid fake credentials including a badge and an FTC letter to make the threat seem legitimate Bucklid believed the ruse and started transferring her money into cryptocurrency accounts through wire transfers at her local Bank of America branch
[00:07:03] Despite the irregularity of the transactions, Bank of America employees did nothing to question their validity The bank is accused of essentially greenlighting the transfers that drain Bucklid's life savings
[00:07:16] Bucklid initially tried to recoup her lost funds by reaching out to Bank of America, but the bank was only able to recover about $500,000 before shutting down the case Bucklid is accusing the bank of negligent hiring, breach of contract and violations of laws like the Electronic Funds Transfer Act
[00:07:36] More than 60 people were scammed by fake parking attendants during a St. Louis Cardinals game One man ended up parking in a no parking area and found a $30 police ticket on his windshield
[00:07:48] We just followed this line of cars that were being waved by a gentleman that had a vest on and it was $40 to park in this grassy field Considering they were scammed, the city voided the tickets
[00:08:02] People get and take an advantage of they already paid $40 to park and now they have a $30 ticket We can't recoup that $40, but at least we can make sure that we don't levy another $30 on them
[00:08:13] A convicted Beverly Hills con artist has pleaded guilty to dooping investors out of $18 million through an elaborate cannabis business scheme Mark Roy Anderson entered a guilty plea in federal court to two counts of wire fraud
[00:08:27] Authorities say Anderson concocted a sham cannabis empire while completing his sentence for a previous case After his release from federal prison in Texas in 2019, where he had served more than 11 years for an oil investment scam Anderson immediately launched his purported hemp business
[00:08:46] In one scheme, he tricked investors in 2020 and 2021 into funding his company, Harvest Farm Group, falsely claiming he owned a hemp farm and could profitably process the crop into CBD and other cannabis products In another scheme from 2021 to 2023, Anderson deceived investors by soliciting money for sham companies,
[00:09:08] biopharma and vertebrate bottling, falsely claiming they successfully manufactured and sold commercial products Prosecutors say Anderson used some of the money to purchase a $1.3 million home as well as vintage and luxury cars, private jet flights and high-end retail purchases
[00:09:26] Anderson, who is a disbarred lawyer, agreed to forfeit the fraudulent assets including 15 vehicles and his property He faces up to 20 years in federal prison This is Scams & Cons News Scams & Cons is a member of the Evergreen Podcast Network
[00:09:46] Did you guys hear about that couple that went on vacation and one spouse murdered the other? In fact, the entire vacation was planned just so that they could make the murder look like an accident Ah, so like a slaycation
[00:10:11] Oh boy! Sounds like a fun new true crime podcast to me On every episode of Slaycation, we'll examine true cases of people who were killed while on vacation Was it murder? Or just a horrible accident? That's up to you and the law to decide
[00:10:33] But either way, if you leave for your vacation in the plane And come home under the plane You've definitely gone on a slaycation Join us every week for a fascinating new episode 911, what's your emergency? But make sure to pack your body bags Because getting away can be murder
[00:10:53] This is Slaycation