Group items tagged

Mortgage fraud is crime in which the intent is to materially misrepresent or omit information on a mortgage loan application to obtain a loan or to obtain a larger loan than would have been obtained had the lender or borrower known the truth. In United States federal courts, mortgage fraud is prosecuted as wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, with penalties of up to thirty years imprisonment.As the incidence of mortgage fraud has risen over the past few years, states have also begun to enact their own penalties for mortgage fraud. Mortgage fraud is not to be confused with predatory mortgage lending, which occurs when a consumer is misled or deceived by agents of the lender. However, predatory lending practices often co-exist with mortgage fraud. Types Occupancy fraud: This occurs where the borrower wishes to obtain a mortgage to acquire an investment property, but states on the loan application that the borrower will occupy the property as the primary residence or as a second home. If undetected, the borrower typically obtains a lower interest rate than was warranted. Because lenders typically charge a higher interest rate for non-owner-occupied properties, which historically have higher delinquency rates, the lender receives insufficient return on capital and is over-exposed to loss relative to what was expected in the transaction. In addition, lenders allow larger loans on owner-occupied homes compared to loans for investment properties. When occupancy fraud occurs, it is likely that taxes on gains are not paid, resulting in additional fraud. It is considered fraud because the borrower has materially misprepresented the risk to the lender to obtain more favorable loan terms. Income fraud: This occurs when a borrower overstates his/her income to qualify for a mortgage or for a larger loan amount. This was most often seen with so-called "stated income" mortgage loans (popularly referred to as "liar loans"), where the borrower, or a l

owers may conceal obligations, such as mortgage loans on other properties or newly acquired credit card debt, to reduce the amount of monthly debt declared on the loan application. This omission of liabilities artificially lowers the debt-to-income ratio, which is a key underwriting criterion used to determine eligibility for most mortgage loans. It is considered fraud because it allows the borrower to qualify for a loan which otherwise would not have been granted, or to qualify for a bigger loan than what would have been granted had the borrower's true debt been disclosed. Fraud for profit: A complex scheme involving multiple parties, including mortgage lending professionals, in a financially motivated attempt to defraud the lender of large sums of money. Fraud for profit schemes frequently include a straw borrower whose credit report is used, a dishonest appraiser who intentionally and significantly overstates the value of the subject property, a dishonest settlement agent who might prepare two sets of HUD settlement statements or makes disbursements from loan proceeds which are not disclosed on the settlement statement, and a property owner, all in a coordinated attempt to obtain an inappropriately large loan. The parties involved share the ill-gotten gains and the mortgage eventually goes into default. In other cases, naive "investors" are lured into the scheme with the organizer's promise that the home will be repaired, repairs and/or renovations will be made, tenants will located, rents will be collected, mortgage payments made and profits will be split upon sale of the property, all without the active participation of the straw buyer. Once the loan is closed, the organizer disappears, no repairs are made nor renters found, and the "investor" is liable for paying the mortgage on a property that is not worth what is owed, leaving the "investor" financially ruined. If undetected, a bank may lend hundreds of thousands of dollars against a property that is act

Mortgage fraud is crime in which the intent is to materially misrepresent or omit information on a mortgage loan application to obtain a loan or to obtain a larger loan than would have been obtained had the lender or borrower known the truth. In United States federal courts, mortgage fraud is prosecuted as wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, with penalties of up to thirty years imprisonment.As the incidence of mortgage fraud has risen over the past few years, states have also begun to enact their own penalties for mortgage fraud. Mortgage fraud is not to be confused with predatory mortgage lending, which occurs when a consumer is misled or deceived by agents of the lender. However, predatory lending practices often co-exist with mortgage fraud. Types Occupancy fraud: This occurs where the borrower wishes to obtain a mortgage to acquire an investment property, but states on the loan application that the borrower will occupy the property as the primary residence or as a second home. If undetected, the borrower typically obtains a lower interest rate than was warranted. Because lenders typically charge a higher interest rate for non-owner-occupied properties, which historically have higher delinquency rates, the lender receives insufficient return on capital and is over-exposed to loss relative to what was expected in the transaction. In addition, lenders allow larger loans on owner-occupied homes compared to loans for investment properties. When occupancy fraud occurs, it is likely that taxes on gains are not paid, resulting in additional fraud. It is considered fraud because the borrower has materially misprepresented the risk to the lender to obtain more favorable loan terms. Income fraud: This occurs when a borrower overstates his/her income to qualify for a mortgage or for a larger loan amount. This was most often seen with so-called "stated income" mortgage loans (popularly referred to as "liar loans"), where the borrower, or a l

Slide 1 TAGZA: Group of Springhill South Korea: The Laziest Scams in Internet History: Zimbio Slide 2 NEWS ON TAGZA - GROUP OF SPRINGHILL SOUTH KOREA - A certain "Sehwan Jung" in South Korea has been sending a number of desperate requests for funds over Twitter: "I am in urgent need of money. Can you lend me 500,000 dollars?I will make it up to you later." A diabolical plot, indeed, though Mr. Jung's scam is unlikely to work. For one, people can see everything someone sends on Twitter and quickly realize he's sent the exact same message over and over. For another, he is tweeting almost exclusively to celebrities, including Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Carly Simon, journalist Nicholas Kristof (who today sarcastically answered, "Sure!"), and the foreign minister of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. Slide 3 "Now this one is a real winner," says Dan Ring, a spokesperson for Boston-based data protection company Sophos. "Sehwan Jung's list of celebrities is almost as entertaining and as random as his actual request, and it's one of the more optimistic requests out there. I hope there's no way someone will fall for this." The "Sehwan gambit" joins the following examples as one of the laziest scams in Internet history. * "JOHN" fails to mention what he even wants to con you out of: Subject: what are you sale Greetings,My name is JOHN, i am highly interested in buying your{ what you want to sale } from you ,I will like you to give me the FINAL ASKING price and the lastes condition,also i will like you to scan the pics for me for proper verifycation.

Slide 1 TAGZA: Group of Springhill South Korea: The Laziest Scams in Internet History: Zimbio Slide 2 NEWS ON TAGZA - GROUP OF SPRINGHILL SOUTH KOREA - A certain "Sehwan Jung" in South Korea has been sending a number of desperate requests for funds over Twitter: "I am in urgent need of money. Can you lend me 500,000 dollars?I will make it up to you later." A diabolical plot, indeed, though Mr. Jung's scam is unlikely to work. For one, people can see everything someone sends on Twitter and quickly realize he's sent the exact same message over and over. For another, he is tweeting almost exclusively to celebrities, including Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Carly Simon, journalist Nicholas Kristof (who today sarcastically answered, "Sure!"), and the foreign minister of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. Slide 3 "Now this one is a real winner," says Dan Ring, a spokesperson for Boston-based data protection company Sophos. "Sehwan Jung's list of celebrities is almost as entertaining and as random as his actual request, and it's one of the more optimistic requests out there. I hope there's no way someone will fall for this." The "Sehwan gambit" joins the following examples as one of the laziest scams in Internet history. * "JOHN" fails to mention what he even wants to con you out of: Subject: what are you sale Greetings,My name is JOHN, i am highly interested in buying your{ what you want to sale } from you ,I will like you to give me the FINAL ASKING price and the lastes condition,also i will like you to scan the pics for me for proper verifycation. Slide 4 * This scammer doesn't even attempt to establish a personal connection before offering $18 million: Beloved, I am Elizabeth Etters, a Christian.I picked your email randomly for an inheritance of $18M. Please contact me for more details via [redacted]. * One malware attack came in the form of a bogus Christmas card-sent on March 19: Date: 2010-03-19 09:27:15

Slide 3 "Now this one is a real winner," says Dan Ring, a spokesperson for Boston-based data protection company Sophos. "Sehwan Jung's list of celebrities is almost as entertaining and as random as his actual request, and it's one of the more optimistic requests out there. I hope there's no way someone will fall for this." The "Sehwan gambit" joins the following examples as one of the laziest scams in Internet history. * "JOHN" fails to mention what he even wants to con you out of: Subject: what are you sale Greetings,My name is JOHN, i am highly interested in buying your{ what you want to sale } from you ,I will like you to give me the FINAL ASKING price and the lastes condition,also i will like you to scan the pics for me for proper verifycation.

The insurance fraud in Changwon uncovered by the Financial Supervisory Service is both shocking and disturbing. It involved as many as 1,361 people, mostly residents of the South Gyeongsang Province city, who either posed as fake patients or exaggerated their illnesses. Collectively, they claimed 9.5 billion won from 33 insurance companies between 2007 and 2011. At the center of the scam ― the largest ever in terms of the number of people involved ― were three unconscionable hospitals in the city, which recruited fake patients systematically in cahoots with insurance brokers and solicitors. They did this to increase revenue and ease their financial distress. The main ploy used by the hospitals was to share a patient, meaning they would arrange for a patient to check in the three hospitals alternately for a different disease. For this, they faked his illnesses and prepared false documents. For close cooperation, they shared patient information among themselves. This scheme helped patients pocket more insurance money. They all purchased multiple private health insurance policies before hospitalization. On average they received some 7 million won per person. In one example, a man in his 50s was hospitalized for a total of 564 days over three years, collecting 95 million won in insurance. The Changwon case followed a similar one that took place in Taebaek last November, involving more than 400 people in the declining mining town in Gangwon Province. They got a total of 14 billion won in insurance payments. As with the Changwon scam, three financially distressed hospitals in the city played a central role. The two cases suggest that insurance fraud is a fairly common occurrence in Korea. According to the FSS, the number of insurance-related crimes has surged in recent years. Last year alone, more than 70,000 people were caught for insurance scams, with the amount of false claims they filed reaching 423 billion won. Yet the figure represented just the tip of the

The insurance fraud in Changwon uncovered by the Financial Supervisory Service is both shocking and disturbing. It involved as many as 1,361 people, mostly residents of the South Gyeongsang Province city, who either posed as fake patients or exaggerated their illnesses. Collectively, they claimed 9.5 billion won from 33 insurance companies between 2007 and 2011. At the center of the scam ― the largest ever in terms of the number of people involved ― were three unconscionable hospitals in the city, which recruited fake patients systematically in cahoots with insurance brokers and solicitors. They did this to increase revenue and ease their financial distress. The main ploy used by the hospitals was to share a patient, meaning they would arrange for a patient to check in the three hospitals alternately for a different disease. For this, they faked his illnesses and prepared false documents. For close cooperation, they shared patient information among themselves. This scheme helped patients pocket more insurance money. They all purchased multiple private health insurance policies before hospitalization. On average they received some 7 million won per person. In one example, a man in his 50s was hospitalized for a total of 564 days over three years, collecting 95 million won in insurance. The Changwon case followed a similar one that took place in Taebaek last November, involving more than 400 people in the declining mining town in Gangwon Province. They got a total of 14 billion won in insurance payments. As with the Changwon scam, three financially distressed hospitals in the city played a central role. The two cases suggest that insurance fraud is a fairly common occurrence in Korea. According to the FSS, the number of insurance-related crimes has surged in recent years. Last year alone, more than 70,000 people were caught for insurance scams, with the amount of false claims they filed reaching 423 billion won. Yet the figure represented just t

The insurance fraud in Changwon uncovered by the Financial Supervisory Service is both shocking and disturbing. It involved as many as 1,361 people, mostly residents of the South Gyeongsang Province city, who either posed as fake patients or exaggerated their illnesses. Collectively, they claimed 9.5 billion won from 33 insurance companies between 2007 and 2011. At the center of the scam ― the largest ever in terms of the number of people involved ― were three unconscionable hospitals in the city, which recruited fake patients systematically in cahoots with insurance brokers and solicitors. They did this to increase revenue and ease their financial distress. The main ploy used by the hospitals was to share a patient, meaning they would arrange for a patient to check in the three hospitals alternately for a different disease. For this, they faked his illnesses and prepared false documents. For close cooperation, they shared patient information among themselves. This scheme helped patients pocket more insurance money. They all purchased multiple private health insurance policies before hospitalization. On average they received some 7 million won per person. In one example, a man in his 50s was hospitalized for a total of 564 days over three years, collecting 95 million won in insurance. The Changwon case followed a similar one that took place in Taebaek last November, involving more than 400 people in the declining mining town in Gangwon Province. They got a total of 14 billion won in insurance payments. As with the Changwon scam, three financially distressed hospitals in the city played a central role. The two cases suggest that insurance fraud is a fairly common occurrence in Korea. According to the FSS, the number of insurance-related crimes has surged in recent years. Last year alone, more than 70,000 people were caught for insurance scams, with the amount of false claims they filed reaching 423 billion won. Yet the figure represented just t

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ - Researchers find high incidence rates and deaths in first-ever analysis of the disease impacts in Latin America Today, Latin American researchers and global health leaders revealed preliminary results from the first-ever study to estimate the burden and costs of meningococcal disease in the region. The study found a need for improved surveillance and better understanding of meningococcal epidemiology and information on costs to help devise meningitis vaccination programs. This new research was coordinated by the Sabin Vaccine Institute in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University (JHU's IVAC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Ciro de Quadros, Executive Vice President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, D.C., said, "Clearly, meningitis is a real health and economic burden in Latin America. Too many children are debilitated or die from this serious disease, yet it is preventable by vaccines. Our new research proves that we need to improve our strategies to fight meningococcal disease." Dr. de Quadros spoke at the conclusion of the first Regional Meningococcal Symposium, convened by the Sabin Vaccine Institute and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). The symposium, which took place March 19 and 20 in Buenos Aires, brought together more than 150 researchers, vaccine experts, economists and others to evaluate the extent and cost of meningococcal disease and what obstacles impede its prevention through vaccination. "Few diseases have as much power to cause panic among the population as meningococcal disease, said Dr. Marco Aurelio Safadi, Head of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division at Sao Luiz Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "This is primarily because of its potentially epidemic nature. The rapid on

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ - Researchers find high incidence rates and deaths in first-ever analysis of the disease impacts in Latin America Today, Latin American researchers and global health leaders revealed preliminary results from the first-ever study to estimate the burden and costs of meningococcal disease in the region. The study found a need for improved surveillance and better understanding of meningococcal epidemiology and information on costs to help devise meningitis vaccination programs. This new research was coordinated by the Sabin Vaccine Institute in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University (JHU's IVAC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Ciro de Quadros, Executive Vice President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, D.C., said, "Clearly, meningitis is a real health and economic burden in Latin America. Too many children are debilitated or die from this serious disease, yet it is preventable by vaccines. Our new research proves that we need to improve our strategies to fight meningococcal disease." Dr. de Quadros spoke at the conclusion of the first Regional Meningococcal Symposium, convened by the Sabin Vaccine Institute and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). The symposium, which took place March 19 and 20 in Buenos Aires, brought together more than 150 researchers, vaccine experts, economists and others to evaluate the extent and cost of meningococcal disease and what obstacles impede its prevention through vaccination. "Few diseases have as much power to cause panic among the population as meningococcal disease, said Dr. Marco Aurelio Safadi, Head of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division at Sao Luiz Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "This is primarily because of its potentially epidemic nature. The rapid on

"http://newscenter-springhillgrouphome.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/speed-help-for-nevadans-homeowners.html   http://springhillgrouphome.com/2013/03/speed-the-help-for-the-nevadans-homeowners/   $200 million from federal government was given to Nevada to avoid homeowners from losing their homes.  Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation but a Reno Gazette-Journal analysis of the fund distribution confirms that the money was almost intact in the past two years.   Nevada only spent $21 million of the $194 million it was to be paid to homeowners facing foreclosure, this means only 11% of the money it received through the Obama administration's Hardest Hit Fund, this is according to the most recent reports of the analysis of U.S. Treasury the third quarter of 2012   "This is government bureaucracy at its finest," said Victor Joecks, communication director of think tank Nevada Policy Research Institute. "They can't even give away $200 million. This program is a perfect example of why government shouldn't pick winners and losers in the economy."   According to Nevada Hardest Hit officials, just in January, the nonprofit gave $7.2 million in direct aid to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.  A total of $28.4 million was given by the program since it began in mid-2010, which is only 5% of the allocation. More or less 25 % of what they have given out was given out in January.   Mortgage assistance and principal reduction are the two separate components of the state Hardest Hit Fund program that has much given the aid.  75 percent of the budget went to direct aid from July 2011 to June 2012; this is another analysis of yearly financi

"A personal loan scam victim warns residents to be vigilant of phone calls from fraudsters. LISA (not her real name), from West Suffolk resident, lost £110 after sending over a code for an online voucher as a fee for someone who contacted her by phone promising a loan. They agreed over the phone that she will be receiving the money within 15 minutes; the money was supposedly for Lisa's new furniture. But instead of receiving the said money, she was asked to pay an additional £295 in voucher form Good thing is that she refused.  She rather contacted the police and is now warning residents not to fall prey to such schemes.She said: "I feel absolutely gutted and stupid that I fell for it. They're very crafty and I just don't want anyone else to fall for it. "The company has been harassing me with over 20 calls a day, emptied my bank account and left me nervous of borrowing from other providers." She added. This incident isn't new to Suffolk Police.  They have been receiving details of similar occurrences from residents and are also urging people not to provide personal information to cold callers. Ukash was the code given by Lisa, which can be bought from high street shops with cash and spent online using the code rather than providing bank or credit card details. A police spokesman said: "They are never genuinely used as advance fee payment for loans or other similar products. They are simply designed for the purchase of goods from the internet or other retailers. "Anyone offering a genuine loan will not ask for a cash payment up front for the service. "Fraudsters will try anything to get you to part with your cash so if you receive any unsolicited calls from people asking you for cash or voucher details then please do not give it to them." This is a great example that anyone can be a victim of these scams.  We must be very watchful and on guard of ourselves in all time. We will never know when fraudsters will attack in any form o

South Korea Group of Springhill: China's Export Machine Goes High-End2 +-6 Respot From its sprawling manufacturing base deep in China's southwestern Hunan province, some 100 kilometers from where Mao was born, construction-machinery maker Sany Group plans to take on the world. While workers in blue overalls and yellow hard hats crawl over huge mobile hydraulic cranes and cement mixer trucks in a gleaming factory, Sany President Tang Xiuguo sits in his expansive office nearby, discussing the opening of Sany factories in Brazil, India, and Alabama, as well as the soon-to-be-completed $475 million acquisition of Germany's Putzmeister, the world's largest maker of cement pumps. The bespectacled Tang, one of four founders of the 22-year-old company, aims to lift overseas sales, now some 5 percent of its $16 billion revenue, to up to one-fifth of revenues within five years. The phrase "Made in China" summons up images of cheap shoes, plastic toys, and electronics assembled in the vast factory complexes of Foxconn Technology Group (HNHPF). While China built its powerful export business-increasing 17 percent a year over the last three decades-on such light industry and electronics assembly, that is fast changing. Rising labor costs, up 15 percent annually since 2005, plus an appreciating currency, are putting new pressures on China's cheap manufacturing model and driving textile, shoe, and apparel factories to close or relocate to Vietnam, Cambodia, or Bangladesh. "China's share of the world's low-end exports has started to fall. This reflects a shift by Chinese producers into sectors where margins are higher rather than a failure to compete," wrote U.K.-based Capital Economics in a March 28 note. Chinese-built ships, for example, dominated the global market with a 41 percent share last year, well ahead of South Korea and Japan, according to London-based shipping services company Clarksons. Data from the International Trade Centre, a joint agen

KNOWLEDGE CENTER OVERVIEW PUBLICATIONS Research and insight on topics affecting your industry, Spring's solution and opinions addressing those challenges. Learn more. CASE STUDIES Case examples of our work illustrate the value created, problem solving and innovative solutions implemented to meet and satisfy the needs of our clients. Learn more. PRESENTATIONS Presentations our experts have given over the past year at industry leading conferences and events. Learn more. SURVEYS Industry leading research that identifies trends and opportunities led by our Spring's consultants. Learn more. NEWSLETTERS The latest information on key topics affecting the industry with a focus on employee benefits, risk financing and wealth strategies. Learn more. WEBCASTS An insight to our expert knowledge on specific topics. Learn more.

http://ambersanpedro.livejournal.com/1011.html This project consisted of removing and replacing (2) existing 1100 ton chillers, removing (4) existing tower water pumps which were replaced with (2), and removing (3) existing chilled water pumps which were replaced with (2). A single new 400HP boiler was installed where one of the existing original boiler's was demolished by an owner paid subcontractor separate from this contract. There was also a generator that was removed in order to make room in the chiller room for the new equipment and piping. A large condensing unit servicing some operating rooms had to be relocated in order to allow access to the mechanical room for demolition and delivery of the new equipment and piping. Much of the existing chilled water and tower water piping was removed and replaced with throughout the chiller room and on the mezzanine above the chiller room. Steam, condensate and fuel oil piping servicing the old boiler was removed and re-configured to meet the needs of the new boiler. Access to the south mechanical room was very limited. All of the equipment and piping had to be hoisted into and out of an access shaft just large enough for the new equipment. Besides the limited space, the set-up area for the hoisting rig was right next to the Emergency Room/Helepad entrance. The coordination with our hoisting and rigging subcontractor, the hospital personnel and Stanger Industries years of experience with similar projects proved invaluable on this challenging aspect of the project. One of the stipulations of this project was to insure that all systems would remain on line during the installation of all of the new equipment. In order to accomplish this task, isolation valves were installed in key locations to allow us to isolate this south mechanical room from the rest of the system and utilize the north mechanical room's equipment to keep things on line. The shut-down/drain down of the towers was scheduled and coordinated with hosp

Hospital Corporation of America Chillers, Pumps, and Boiler Replacement Project Wednesday, January 18 · Edit "http://ambersanpedro.livejournal.com/1011.html This project consisted of removing and replacing (2) existing 1100 ton chillers, removing (4) existing tower water pumps which were replaced with (2), and removing (3) existing chilled water pumps which were replaced with (2). A single new 400HP boiler was installed where one of the existing original boiler's was demolished by an owner paid subcontractor separate from this contract. There was also a generator that was removed in order to make room in the chiller room for the new equipment and piping. A large condensing unit servicing some operating rooms had to be relocated in order to allow access to the mechanical room for demolition and delivery of the new equipment and piping. Much of the existing chilled water and tower water piping was removed and replaced with throughout the chiller room and on the mezzanine above the chiller room. Steam, condensate and fuel oil piping servicing the old boiler was removed and re-configured to meet the needs of the new boiler. Access to the south mechanical room was very limited. All of the equipment and piping had to be hoisted into and out of an access shaft just large enough for the new equipment. Besides the limited space, the set-up area for the hoisting rig was right next to the Emergency Room/Helepad entrance. The coordination with our hoisting and rigging subcontractor, the hospital personnel and Stanger Industries years of experience with similar projects proved invaluable on this challenging aspect of the project. One of the stipulations of this project was to insure that all systems would remain on line during the installation of all of the new equipment. In order to accomplish this task, isolation valves were installed in key locations to allow us to isolate this south mechanical room from the rest of the system and utilize the north mechanical room's

BusinessWeek Articles - LIFESTYLE - A certain "SehwanJung" in South Korea has been sending a number ofdesperate requests for funds over Twitter: "I am in urgentneed of money. Can you lend me 500,000 dollars?I will makeit up to you later." A diabolical plot, indeed, though Mr.Jung's scam is unlikely to work. For one, people can seeeverything someone sends on Twitter and quickly realize he'ssent the exact same message over and over. For another, heis tweeting almost exclusively to celebrities, includingChanning Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Carly Simon, journalistNicholas Kristof (who today sarcastically answered, "Sure!"),and the foreign minister of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalid binAhmed Al Khalifa and Group of Springhill South Korea. "Now this one is a real winner," says Dan Ring, aspokesperson for Boston-based data protection companySophos. "Sehwan Jung's list of celebrities is almost asentertaining and as random as his actual request, andit's one of the more optimistic requests out there. I hopethere's no way someone will fall for this." The "Sehwan gambit" joins the following examples asone of the laziest scams in Internet history. * "JOHN" fails to mention what he even wants to conyou out of:Subject: what are you saleGreetings,My name is JOHN, i am highly interested inbuying your{ what you want to sale } from you ,I willlike you to give me the FINAL ASKING price and thelastes condition,also i will like you to scan the pics forme for proper verifycation. This scammer doesn't even attempt to establish a personalconnection before offering $18 million:Beloved,I am Elizabeth Etters, a Christian.I picked your email randomlyfor an inheritance of $18M. Please contact me for more details via[redacted]. * One malware attack came in the form of a bogus Christmascard-sent on March 19:Date: 2010-03-19 09:27:15"You have just received a Christmas greeting card! To see yourcustom card and who sent it, please check the attachment." In t

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HU

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HU

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HU

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HUD-OIG,

The insurance fraud in Changwon uncovered by the Financial Supervisory Service is both shocking and disturbing. It involved as many as 1,361 people, mostly residents of the South Gyeongsang Province city, who either posed as fake patients or exaggerated their illnesses. Collectively, they claimed 9.5 billion won from 33 insurance companies between 2007 and 2011. At the center of the scam ― the largest ever in terms of the number of people involved ― were three unconscionable hospitals in the city, which recruited fake patients systematically in cahoots with insurance brokers and solicitors. They did this to increase revenue and ease their financial distress. The main ploy used by the hospitals was to share a patient, meaning they would arrange for a patient to check in the three hospitals alternately for a different disease. For this, they faked his illnesses and prepared false documents. For close cooperation, they shared patient information among themselves. This scheme helped patients pocket more insurance money. They all purchased multiple private health insurance policies before hospitalization. On average they received some 7 million won per person. In one example, a man in his 50s was hospitalized for a total of 564 days over three years, collecting 95 million won in insurance. The Changwon case followed a similar one that took place in Taebaek last November, involving more than 400 people in the declining mining town in Gangwon Province. They got a total of 14 billion won in insurance payments. As with the Changwon scam, three financially distressed hospitals in the city played a central role. The two cases suggest that insurance fraud is a fairly common occurrence in Korea. According to the FSS, the number of insurance-related crimes has surged in recent years. Last year alone, more than 70,000 people were caught for insurance scams, with the amount of false claims they filed reaching 423 billion won. Yet the figure represented just th