Tag: fraud

CRIMINALS AND BOTS: OpenAI’s Sam Altman Warns Financial Sector That Artificial Intelligence Is About to Unleash ‘Significant Fraud Crisis’

The rise of the Artificial Intelligence technology carries a lot of promise but also a lot of risk.

When it comes to the perils of the AI technology, we’ve heard multiple experts alerting to the ‘macrocosmic’ problems that it can pose to the very survival of humankind, with the alarmism hitting overdrive with provocateur Eliezer Yudkowsky saying ‘I think we’re all gonna die!’

But there’s also the ‘microcosmic’ problems that AI is already unleashing on humanity, in the sense that it quickly became another tool used by criminals – and a powerful one, too!

Sometimes there are terrible stories that seem a ‘one-off’ destined to the folklore, as in the case of the French woman scammed out of $850k by con-man posing as ‘Brad Pitt in the hospital’ with AI-Generated images and Chatbot.

But now, we seem to be heading to a more systemic danger, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns the financial sector of a ‘significant impending fraud crisis’ because of artificial intelligence.

Altman detailed AI’s increasing capability to ‘impersonate human voices’, allowing criminals to bypass security protocols and even illicitly transfer funds.

The Independent reported:

“Speaking at a Federal Reserve conference in Washington, Mr. Altman expressed particular alarm over outdated authentication methods. ‘A thing that terrifies me is apparently there are still some financial institutions that will accept the voiceprint as authentication’, he stated. ‘That is a crazy thing to still be doing. AI has fully defeated that’.”

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Did Trump Expose the DC Sham on Waste and Fraud?

On January 24, President Trump fired 17 inspector generals working for a wide array of federal agencies. Trump’s action jolted Washington because most of those officials could supposedly only be removed for cause — specific misconduct or other abuses. Trump also scorned the federal law requiring giving Congress 30-days notice before terminating such officials. 

Some of the inspector generals that Trump axed had done good work exposing government abuses while others had defaulted to the lap dog mode. A White House official justified the firings: “These rogue, partisan bureaucrats who have weaponized the justice system against their political enemies are no longer fit or deserve to serve in their appointed positions.” The official said the firings will “make room for qualified individuals who will uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy.” 

Maybe the White House wanted inspector generals who could bring bigger brooms to sweep evidence under rugs? The controversy that erupted over Trump’s firings largely ignored the long history of inspector generals either being wrongfully terminated or being worse than useless. 

Politicians create facades to make citizens believe that government automatically guards against waste, fraud, and abuse. The purpose of inspector generals is to create the illusion of honest government — to make people think that oversight is going on. While inspector generals are routinely portrayed as paragons of integrity, many are appointed by the chief of the federal agency they oversee. Their jobs and budgets depend directly on the political appointees they are supposed to investigate, and they grovel accordingly.

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Infamous Sports Memorabilia Dealer Found Dead After Shocking $350 Million Counterfeit Confession

On Tuesday, Brett Lemieux, a seasoned sports memorabilia dealer, was found dead by authorities during the execution of a search warrant at his business, which was under investigation for alleged fraudulent activities, the New York Post reports.

Lemieux, founder of the sports memorabilia website MisterManCave, claimed in a striking Facebook post on the “Autographs 101” group Wednesday morning that he had sold over four million counterfeit items, amassing more than $350 million in sales, authorities said. Shortly after Lemieux posted the 1,200-word message, which has since been removed, Westfield, Indiana, police reported that he died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Lemieux claimed in a Facebook post that he orchestrated a large-scale counterfeit scheme, forging holograms and authentication stickers for sports collectibles that imitated products from major companies like Fanatics and Panini.

Lemieux claimed he flooded the market with 80,000 pieces of counterfeit memorabilia following the death of Kobe Bryant in 2020.

The sports memorabilia industry is reeling from Brett Lemieux’s suicide and his confession of orchestrating a large-scale counterfeit scheme, though some industry insiders expressed little surprise at the revelations.

“People have known about this guy. They’ve known his work. They know what he’s been up to,” said Steve Grad, an industry expert. “He has been at it for years and years. And he’s driven down the price of things. You know, you look at a Tom Brady autograph and Tom Brady’s value is affected drastically by this individual.”

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Mexican illegal alien charged after staging fake ‘ICE abduction’ to garner financial donations and sympathy

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against an illegal alien from Mexico after she purportedly orchestrated a fake kidnapping by federal agents in an attempt to generate sympathy and financial donations.

41-year-old Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, who is now in U.S. immigration custody, is being charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers.

The fabricated “incident” initially garnered media attention after Calderon’s family held a press conference on June 30th, claiming that she had been abducted by ICE “bounty hunters” at gunpoint from a Los Angeles Jack in the Box location.

At the time, the family went on to claim that she was eventually taken to the U.S.-Mexico border and was told to “self deport.” During the press conference, the family’s lawyer argued that she had refused to sign self-deportation paperwork and was thus forcefully taken to a “warehouse at an undisclosed location” with other detainees — until she was willing to sign the paperwork.

The family then set up a fundraising page, requesting $4,500, according to the DOJ.

Despite the family’s claim, the federal agents began looking for Calderon after she reportedly never appeared in official records of having been in immigration custody, according to the DOJ.

However, agents later discovered Calderon at a shopping mall in Bakersfield, California.

“Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are ‘kidnapping’ illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents,” stated United States Attorney Bill Essayli.

“The conduct alleged in today’s complaint shows this hoax ‘kidnapping’ was a well-orchestrated conspiracy. The defendant and all those involved will face the full consequences of their conduct under federal law. I thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and all federal agents facing unprecedented levels of assaults for once again providing cool heads and professionalism during these difficult times,” he added.

A Justice Department press release revealed that federal authorities obtained video surveillance footage of Calderon leaving the Jack in the Box parking lot and entering into a nearby sedan, “as well as telephone records demonstrate Calderon fabricated the entire story.”

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85 Minnesota Autism Clinics Under Investigation for Millions in Medicaid Fraud

About 85 autism clinics in Minnesota are under investigation for tens of millions in Medicaid billing fraud.

The state’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is under a microscope for paying out outrageous amounts for services supposedly delivered by the state’s burgeoning autism treatment sector, according to KSTP-TV.

The records show that DHS paid out claims totally about $700 million since the state’s autism program began in 2014. But millions of that seems to be paying for services that were never rendered. And investigators say that some $20 million has been fraud.

Now, DHS is reportedly visiting every one of the state’s locations after data shows that at least 85 of them fraudulently billed the program.

One expert says that the state ignored the warning signs.

Dr. Eric Larsson with the Lovaas Institute Midwest says that some of the bills were obviously suspicious. “No apparent email address, no website. Nobody is answering the phone,” he said. “They’re certainly not trying to deliver services.”

The problem first came to light last December when the FBI raided two Minnesota autism clinics under suspicions of fraudulent billing, KROC radio reported at the time.

State DHS officials are now scrambling to make sure that the hundreds of autism centers in the state are submitting legitimate bills.

Two of the clinics under investigation are Smart Therapy Center, LLC in Minneapolis and Star Autism Center LLC in St. Cloud, which also had ties to the Feeding Our Future child meal fraud case.

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Jerome Powell Criminally Referred For Alleged Perjury About $2.5 Billion Building Renovation

On Thursday, Chairman of the Board of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Bill Pulte, said Fed Chair Jerome Powell may be criminally referred to the Justice Department for alleged perjury about the $2.5 billion building renovation plan.

“I am told by very reliable Congressional sources that there may be a criminal referral coming from one or more Congress members to the DOJ for Jay Powell’s alleged perjury about the $2.5BN building,” Pulte said on X.

An hour later, GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna criminally referred Jerome Powell over the renovation insanity.

Powell is under fire for the cost of renovating the Fed’s DC headquarters. The cost ballooned from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion.

“Powell has asked the central bank’s inspector general to conduct an additional review of the ongoing renovation, CNN previously reported. Last month, some Senate lawmakers grilled Powell over what they depicted as lavish upgrades to its DC headquarters at Powell’s semiannual monetary policy hearing,’ CNN reported.

“The Fed’s renovation project was approved by its board in 2017 and originally cost $1.9 billion in 2019. Construction began in 2021, but the cost swelled to $2.5 billion because of “unforeseen conditions” requiring more spending to rectify, such as “more asbestos than anticipated, toxic contamination in soil, and a higher-than-expected water table,” according to the Fed’s website,” CNN reported.

President Trump earlier this week said Jerome Powell’s renovation scandal may be enough to fire him as the Fed Chair.

“I can’t imagine why the Fed would need a palace,” Trump said.

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Louisiana Police Chiefs Indicted for Immigration Fraud and Money Laundering

A federal grand jury from the Western District of Louisiana has returned an indictment against five men in Louisiana. Two police chiefs, a city marshal, a business owner, and a former police chief are all accused of exploiting the U.S. immigration system for their own profit. 

The prosecutors allege that by filing false police reports, these men were able to fraudulently produce hundreds of U-Visas, special non-immigrant visas reserved for victims or witnesses of serious crimes who assist law enforcement.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook announced these charges are being leveled by the Homeland Security Task Force as part of “Operation Take Back America.”

The 62-count indictment released on Wednesday includes allegations of conspiracy, bribery, mail fraud, immigration fraud, visa fraud, and money laundering. The alleged conspiracy lasted for nearly a decade, from December 2015 to July 2025, according to the 21-page indictment.

“This was a very complex investigation,” said Van Hook. “It involved some very sophisticated law enforcement techniques. It was really top notch.” 

Businessman Chandrakant Patel is accused of orchestrating the scheme by collecting payments from illegal aliens in the United States. Patel then allegedly coordinated with law enforcement officers across multiple jurisdictions in Louisiana to file fake police reports and obtain fraudulent U-Visas. 

These false reports, signed by law enforcement officers, allowed foreign nationals to remain in the United States illegally. The indictment details how Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, City Marshal Michael Slaney, Forest Hill Police Chief Chad Dixon, and former Glenmora Police Chief Tibo Onishea each filed false police reports that supported U-Visa applications. 

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Woah: President Trump Announces Loathsome Senator Adam Schiff Has Been Caught Allegedly Committing Mortgage Fraud

President Trump announced on Tuesday that loathsome Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) has been caught allegedly committing mortgage fraud by Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division.

“I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud.”

“Adam Schiff said that his primary residence was in MARYLAND to get a cheaper mortgage and rip off America, when he must LIVE in CALIFORNIA because he was a Congressman from CALIFORNIA,” Trump added.” I always knew Adam Schiff was a Crook. The FRAUD began with the refinance of his Maryland property on February 6, 2009, and continued through multiple transactions until the Maryland property was correctly designated as a second home on October 13, 2020.”

“Mortgage Fraud is very serious, and CROOKED Adam Schiff (now a Senator) needs to be brought to justice.”

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Schiff has claimed his primary residence as Maryland.

In April 2023, a concerned citizen from the state of California uncovered what is believed to be crimes committed by Schiff.

Schiff was elected to Congress in 2000. In 2003, he reportedly purchased a home in Maryland with his wife, stating they would occupy this home for 12 consecutive months as their “primary residence.” Despite this claim, Schiff continued to vote in California.

Schiff’s primary residence is a large 3,420-square-foot home in tony Montgomery County. He reportedly maintains a little condo in Burbank, California, as another “primary” residence likely to reduce his tax bill.

It’s questionable whether he even goes there.

Schiff refinanced his Maryland home in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2009, a House Ethics investigation claimed that Schiff did this, and Schiff argued it was an error, and he repaid the exempt taxes to the state of Maryland.

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DOJ questions ex-UnitedHealth doctors in probe into Medicare fraud: report

The Department of Justice questioned former UnitedHealth doctors as it investigates claims that the health insurance giant pushed staffers to make diagnoses that triggered higher Medicare payments, according to a report Wednesday.

The investigation, which dates back to at least last summer, concerns alleged efforts to encourage staffers to record certain diagnoses that trigger higher payments under Medicare Advantage, the program for seniors and the disabled, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Investigators for the Justice Department, FBI, and Health and Human Services Department have been asking for details on patient testing, procedures used to reach certain diagnoses and the process of sending nurses to patients’ homes, according to former UnitedHealth employees.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

UnitedHealth, whose healthcare executive Brian Thompson was executed by an assassin last year outside a Midtown hotel, said it stands “firmly behind the integrity of our Medicare Advantage business.”

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ICE Is Snooping on Your Medical Bills

The feds are vacuuming up a lot of data on Americans in the name of stopping illegal immigration. Their latest target? Your insurance data.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now using data from the Insurance Services Office’s ClaimSearch, a private industry service for detecting car and health insurance fraud, according to ICE documents obtained by the tech news site 404 Media on Wednesday. ClaimSearch includes 1.8 billion insurance claims and 58 million medical bills—along with the personal data attached to them, including addresses, tax identification numbers, and license plates.

ClaimSearch’s public policy states that it grants full access to law enforcement agencies “investigating or prosecuting insurance-related crime, or developing background information about a specific individual or list of individuals who have been identified as persons of interest with regard to homeland security activity.”

Verisk, the company that runs ClaimSearch, denied to 404 Media that ICE or the Department of Homeland Security is one of its clients. But the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which controls access to ClaimSearch, did not directly answer whether ICE has access. 404 Media speculated that ICE could have gained access through another government agency.

In March 2025, the Trump administration signed an executive order to tear down “information silos” between federal agencies, and in May, the IRS signed a data-sharing agreement with ICE. The administration has leaned heavily on surveillance contractor Palantir, which has a contract with ICE to facilitate “complete target analysis of known populations.”

ICE has also been tapping into the nationwide network of license plate reading cameras by asking local law enforcement agencies to run searches for specific cars, 404 Media reported earlier this year. Some police departments insisted to 404 Media that the searches were conducted for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations branch, which handles organized crime and smuggling rather than immigration enforcement.

However, the ICE documents on ClaimSearch specifically said that the data was going to Enforcement and Removal Operations, the branch that handles the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

The immigration cops didn’t just start building their mass surveillance dragnets this year. In 2021, at the start of the Biden administration, The Washington Post reported that ICE was buying utility company records. While Customs and Border Protection (CBP) insisted in a 2018 report that it buys “only anonymized data” from third-party brokers, it has used commercial cell phone data to track and arrest specific people.

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