Only on AP: ICE cracks down on coronavirus fraud скачать в хорошем качестве

Only on AP: ICE cracks down on coronavirus fraud

U.S. law enforcement officials say they have just "scratched the surface" of a surge in fraudulent activity tied to the coronavirus pandemic. A new nationwide crackdown has already resulted in more than 370 cases and 11 arrests. (May 12) U.S. law enforcement officials say they have just "scratched the surface" of a surge in fraudulent activity tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Homeland Security Investigations is leading a nationwide crackdown called "Operation Stolen Promise." So far, the effort has resulted in more than 370 cases and 11 arrests. Matthew Albence, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said ruthless individuals and criminal organizations are using the public health crisis to take advantage of people's fears of becoming sick or falling into financial hardships. The first red flags came in the form of fake websites pedaling false pharmaceuticals and counterfeit Personal Protective Equipment. "It runs the gamut. Whether it's masks, whether it's gowns, whether it's hand sanitizer, whether it's pharmaceuticals, whether it's testing kits, whether it's quote-unquote cures," Albence said. "Anything that somebody might use to either help deal with the symptoms of the coronavirus or prevent themselves from getting it. It's being exploited." According to Albence the operation has unearthed more than 200,000 websites that could be linked to the fraudulent criminal activity, and some focus on stealing financial information by claiming to give stimulus checks early or providing access to federal loans. One of the largest scams involved Christopher Parris, a 39-year-old from Georgia, who was arrested by HSI agents after attempting to sell 125 million face masks and other equipment to the Department of Veteran Affairs that would have totaled over $750 million. Parris tried to force the VA to pay the money upfront, but investigators found out that he never had the means to produce any of the PPE he was claiming to sell. "We know there are organized criminal groups that are out there that exploit this crisis. A lot of these are organizations that have been involved in other criminal activity that we've investigated," Albence said. "That Christopher Parris individual, he's already under indictment for another Ponzi scheme out of New York where he was arrested in January of this year. So, these are criminals that are just looking for another opportunity." Parris is now jailed in Atlanta and is expected to be transferred to Washington to face charges in the case which is based in Virginia. Albence expects more arrests to made in the coming weeks, as the operation follows up on more than 500 leads that have been sent out to the field. One of the biggest strategies for combating the coronavirus fraud, according to Albence, is involving more Americans through outreach and education. Subscribe for more Breaking News: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Website: https://apnews.com Twitter:   / ap   Facebook:   / apnews   Google+: https://plus.google.com/1158922418018... Instagram:   / apnews   ​ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...