Fraud

Annalouise Spence allegedly used credit card to make ‘unauthorised purchases of luxury and personal items, including clothing, artwork and jewellery’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former private secretary of billionaire philanthropist Judith Neilson has been charged with dozens of counts of fraud after she allegedly used a business credit card to make more than $1m of purchases, including luxury clothing, artwork and jewellery.Annalouise Spence, 50, was due to appear at a bail court hearing on Thursday after being charged with 68 counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate Medicaid providers as part of a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts, announced by Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday. • This marks a significant expansion from previous anti-fraud initiatives that have largely focused on specific states rather than a nationwide mandate. • The move aims to strengthen program integrity and reduce fraudulent claims across the Medicaid system.

• Fraud incidents continue climbing at US banks even with substantial spending on advanced detection tools and analytics. • The gap highlights limitations in current tech defenses against evolving fraudster tactics. • This trend matters as it pressures financial institutions to innovate faster, amid rising economic impacts from cyber fraud.

Hui Ka Yan expresses remorse in trial proceedings after collapse of world’s most indebted property developerBusiness live – latest updatesA former steelworker who rose to become one of China’s richest people has pleaded guilty to charges including fundraising fraud after the collapse of Evergrande, the world’s most indebted property developer.The property group’s founder, Hui Ka Yan, “pleaded guilty and expressed remorse” in trial proceedings at a court in China’s southern city of Shenzhen against him and Evergrande, the court said in a posting on its official WeChat account. He also pleaded guilty to misuse of funds and illegally taking public deposits. Continue reading...

Suspects allegedly bought 14 hospice companies and used stolen identities to fraudulently bill state health planSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCalifornia authorities have filed felony charges against 21 people, who they say orchestrated a hospice fraud scheme that cost the state $267m, the state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced on Thursday.The suspects allegedly bought personal identifying information for non-California residents from the dark web and used the stolen identities to enroll in Medi-Cal, a state program that gives low-income residents free or low-cost health care. Continue reading...

• FBI arrested eight individuals, including three nurses, a chiropractor, and a psychologist, in a Los Angeles healthcare fraud operation targeting over $50 million from the US system. • Gladwin and Amelou Gill allegedly created a hospice in their daughter's name, swindling over $7 million from taxpayers. • Six defendants face initial appearances in US District Court in downtown Los Angeles, with one in Idaho; the scheme ties to broader hospice fraud concerns in LA.

• President Trump signed an executive order last week to place tight federal controls on mail-in voting, claiming it enables widespread cheating in blue states like California. • Trump stated 'Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating' and 'Cheating on mail-in voting is legendary,' despite no evidence of fraud. • California and other states sued, arguing states have constitutional rights to administer elections; Trump insists Democrats register noncitizens, especially Latinos.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis calls alleged scamming of EU agricultural funds ‘a turning point’ The Greek prime minister has vowed to tackle what he has called a “deep state” he says is plaguing the country, as he sought to address a burgeoning political crisis over a farm fraud scandal that has forced the resignation of multiple government ministers.In a speech, aired on national TV, Kyriakos Mitsotakis attempted to limit the damage, describing the revelations as “a turning point” that had turbo-charged his commitment to rooting out entrenched corruption. Continue reading...

• The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on April 5, 2026, against three Venezuelan oil executives accused of funding electoral fraud that displaced 200,000 migrants toward the US border. • Targets include PDVSA Vice President Carlos Vargas, with assets frozen and US travel bans; Secretary Blinken noted, 'These actions undermine democracy and fuel instability.' • Measures aim to pressure Maduro regime amid humanitarian crisis, where 8 million Venezuelans have fled since 2015, straining US border resources.

Alan Hayward James, who called himself ‘Al Capone’, admitted to rigging bids for IT contracts with PentagonA former US air force master sergeant who nicknamed himself “Al Capone” has pleaded guilty to defrauding the military branch out of $37m by inflating the cost of IT contracts – and giving some of the extra money to an individual he called “Godfather”.Alan Hayward James, from Texas, ran a nine-year scam, beginning in April 2016, which also saw him funnel excess funds to himself, his family and his co-conspirators. Continue reading...

US president makes baseless claims about fraud in blue states and says JD Vance will lead clampdown as ‘fraud czar’Donald Trump announced a fresh crackdown on “fraud” in Democratic states and tapped JD Vance to lead the charge. Officials swiftly announced a string of arrests in California.In a Truth Social post on Friday, the US president announced that his vice-president is now “in charge of ‘fraud’ in the United States”, claiming the problem is “massive and pervasive” and that Vance’s new role as “fraud czar” will be “a major factor in how great the future of our country will be”. Continue reading...

• Eight defendants, including three nurses, a chiropractor, and a psychologist, have been arrested on federal charges for defrauding the health care system of more than $50 million through sham hospice care facilities. • The scheme involved running hospice operations that billed Medicare by enrolling people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries, with Valley Pacific Hospice Inc. in Simi Valley having its Medicare enrollment revoked in August 2024. • The arrests were coordinated with the Vice President's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, with six defendants making initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles and one in Idaho.

Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff also running for governor, had seized 650,000 ballotsChad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff, has halted a contentious investigation into a alleged voter fraud that has drawn opposition from the state’s attorney general.The move marks a major reversal for Bianco, a prominent Donald Trump supporter who is one of the top two Republican candidates running for the governorship of California. Continue reading...

Experts say paid participants are using automated tools to generate unreliable survey responses at scaleIf you had been keeping tabs on the news about church attendance in Britain lately, you would be forgiven for thinking the country was in the midst of a Christian revival.Stories of swelling congregations, filled with young people returning to the flock, spurred on by everything from social media to a rise in bible sales appeared to be confirmed by a 2024 report from the Bible Society. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration issued sweeping regulations in February targeting what Obamacare critics characterize as fraud incentives within the Affordable Care Act framework. • The regulatory package represents a coordinated effort to address alleged vulnerabilities in the ACA subsidy and enrollment systems. • The administration claims the measures represent successes in anti-fraud enforcement while critics argue they restrict legitimate access to coverage.

• The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee held a March 17 hearing on CMS fraud prevention, with Deputy Administrator Kimberly Brandt detailing data analytics and real-time monitoring shifts. • Republicans highlighted improper payments in hospice, home health and Medicaid, calling for stronger oversight; Democrats urged balancing enforcement with patient access. • Lawmakers addressed fraud risks in durable medical equipment amid calls to end 'pay-and-chase' models.

• House Republicans announced an investigation into rampant hospice fraud in Southern California, alleging tens of millions in taxpayer funds lost to improper payments. • The House Oversight Committee sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom requesting documents on state oversight of federally funded hospice programs. • Fraud involves companies receiving payments for ineligible patients, prompting calls for stronger controls amid ongoing healthcare waste concerns.

Michael Smith, 52, charged after flooding platforms with thousands of AI songs and boosting them with botsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to defrauding music streaming platforms and his fellow musicians out of millions in royalties by flooding the services with thousands of AI-generated songs – and using automated “bots” to artificially boost the number of listens into the billions.As part of a deal with federal prosecutors in New York’s southern district, 52-year-old Michael Smith pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Continue reading...

• A federal jury ruled Elon Musk liable for defrauding Twitter shareholders by intentionally driving down the stock price to renegotiate or exit the $44 billion takeover deal in 2022. • The verdict was reported by Reuters and Bloomberg News on Friday, with damages to be determined in a later phase of the trial. • This ruling holds significant implications for corporate takeover accountability, potentially affecting future high-profile mergers involving public companies.

• The U.S. House passed the Deporting Fraudsters Act on March 20, 2026, by a 231-186 vote, designating document fraud as a deportable offense for noncitizens. • The bill adds a new removal trigger for convicted noncitizens, enhancing immigration enforcement on fraud cases. • Passage strengthens federal tools amid ongoing immigration debates, impacting deportation priorities.

• The Trump administration announced plans to halt billions in federal Medicaid payments to California, Florida, Maine, and New York, following similar actions against Minnesota involving over $2 billion in withheld funds and $260 million clawed back. • Officials cited alleged Medicaid fraud as the basis for these unprecedented measures, potentially creating a national playbook for pressuring states over program spending. • This escalation impacts public health insurance jointly funded by states and federal government, raising concerns about access for low-income Americans amid ongoing political tensions.

• Rep. Van Taylor's bill mandating deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of fraud passed the House of Representatives on March 19, 2026. • The legislation targets non-citizens involved in fraudulent activities, aiming to strengthen immigration enforcement. • Passage reflects ongoing Republican priorities on border security and public safety amid rising immigration debates.

• Eight leading technology companies, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, have pledged to share threat intelligence on fraudster misuse of their platforms, with the agreement announced ahead of the UN Global Fraud Summit in Austria on March 16. • The initiative focuses on collaborating against fraud and improving user security features, though the voluntary accord carries no penalties for companies that fail to meet commitments. • Rising fraud losses driven by AI-enabled realistic personas and messages have forced tech platforms to enhance security strategies and advocate for stricter regulations against global fraud syndicates.

• Eight leading tech companies, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, signed a voluntary accord on March 16, 2026, to share threat intelligence against fraudsters misusing their services. • The initiative precedes the UN Global Fraud Summit in Austria, focusing on AI-accelerated scams and cross-platform fraud syndicates. • Participants commit to enhancing user security features and supporting law enforcement, amid soaring U.S. fraud losses.

• Fingerprint, a Chicago-based device intelligence firm, launched the industry-first Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server on March 16, 2026, enabling direct integration of AI assistants with its fraud detection platform. • The open-source server transforms complex fraud analysis from hours to real-time insights by connecting AI agents to device intelligence data. • This breakthrough addresses rising AI-driven fraud threats, allowing organizations to deploy faster, more accurate defenses across industries.

• Eight leading tech companies, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, have signed a voluntary accord to share threat intelligence on fraudsters misusing their services ahead of the UN Global Fraud Summit in Austria on March 16. • The initiative aims to counter AI-accelerated fraud tactics, where criminals use online forums and AI to create convincing personas and spread activities across multiple platforms. • Fraud losses have surged recently due to advanced technology enabling realistic deceptions, prompting calls for enhanced user security features and stricter law enforcement against global syndicates.

Flawed Home Office travel records identified thousands of parents suspected of claiming while living abroadThe UK’s public spending watchdog has launched an investigation into a controversial government anti-fraud scheme that resulted in thousands of families being wrongly stripped of their child benefit payments.The National Audit Office (NAO) will examine how HM Revenue and Customs designed and implemented a scheme that used flawed Home Office travel records to identify parents suspected of living abroad while still claiming child benefit. Continue reading...