Please Be Informed...

The "corona economy" - is it a thing or is it a fraud? That's a rhetorical question.

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Good grief. This arrived today. It's a straight copy, errors included but with the links redacted. And if there really is someone called "Blythe Masters," if I were you I'd sue your parents for giving you such a stupid name.

CoNet Section:

Advertising

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Goodbye dodgy TLDs

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That's it. We've had enough. Until internet domain name registrars start to adopt responsible practices over who they sell domains to, especially the plethora of top level domains that criminals habitually use for the nefarious activities, it's time to block them entirely.

CoNet Section:

IT & Communications

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Thank you, Barrister Mark Smith at the United Nations. Or not, as the case may be.

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You just know it's going to be a fraud when the subject line reads "[email address], KINDLY GET BACK TO ME ASAP!!!"

When the "from" is a pretentious name for a law firm ('SMITH GLOBAL LAW') and the address an obviously fictitious "Smithlegaloffice@Un.org" The deal is almost sealed. That final nail in the coffin of the approach is the return address: Smithlegaloffice@mail.ru . If he'd sent from that, our filters which automatically delete undelivered and unread items from mail.ru would have meant it didn't reach its target.

But we're glad it did - for it's a demonstration of the cyclical nature of fraud. This is a genuinely vintage classic.

FCRO Subsection:

The Phishermans's Tale

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Another fake "celebrity endorsement" of a scam

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Well, hello, Kate Winslett. We bet you just love this!

FCRO Subsection:

Financial Crime News

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My boss keeps writing stories about me

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Publication:

Dear Uncle Bert and Auntie Gert

Classification:

relationships

Tue, 21/07/2020 - 05:54

Hi, Bert and Gert.

I have a really strange problem. My boss thinks that posting long messages on LinkedIn makes him popular and it's true, they get lots of likes and shares.

But the stories he write aren't really his stories: they are about me. What should I do?

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Sanctions : UAE company settles with USA over North Korea sanctions.

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Essentra FZE Limited, a manufacturer of cigarette filters and tear tape has agreed to forfeit USD 665,112 in respect of "apparent" breaches of US sanctions relating to North Korea. Essentra is a company registered in the United Arab Emirates with no physical presence in the USA.

The USA describes it as "egregious."

Publication:

Sanctions In Action

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MicroCourse Deutsche Bank ats NYDFS "the Epstein Case" 2020 Critical and Risk Analysis

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Our sister venture, Financial Crime Risk and Compliance Training, has released a micro-course about Deutsche Bank, the New York Department of Financial Services and Jeffery Epstein.

The case creates a new class of risk for all regulated businesses everywhere in the world. There is an early bird discount.

BIScom Subsection:

Compliance

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Lewis Hamilton is right about racism - but he's wrong in his approach.

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Multiple Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton is the poster-boy for anti-racism. He has put himself in that position and there is absolutely no question - the world needs good people to stand up and speak out against bad things.

However, his symbolism is misplaced and those that demand compliance with it are doing more harm than good.

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First Henry Golding now J.K. Rowling.

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Fraudsters are like fishermen: they dangle a juicy titbit and expect you to snap it up and get hooked.

But often it's not actually a worm, it's fake meat, a plant-based concoction that has artificially induced flavours and aromas. It misrepresents itself by appearance.

That's what this scam is all about and only the names have been changed because J.K. Rowling is back in the news.

FCRO Subsection:

Financial Crime News

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Bank scam-scam - Santander UK

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This spam scam is a fake from Santander in the UK

BIScom Subsection:

Account security

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FYI: Anti moneylaundering scanner. Allegedly. Virus warning.

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Even by the standards of spammers, we have to be impressed with the targeting of this outfit. antimoneylaundering.net has, this spammer claims, sent an e-mail to antimoneylaundering.net. That's our sister domain. That's not clever - lots of criminals do that. It's not even clever to put the name in the "from " - criminals and sales people do that. But to tie it to something that might actually be of genuine interest? That is clever or, at least, devious.

CoNet Section:

IT & Communications

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CoVid - 19. No room for complacency

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As the UK finds that opening its pubs might lift the spirits of the people, their ability to contain themselves when consuming spirits or other alcohol risks further outbreaks. The same was found in California last week. Some pubs that were open for two or three days are closed again as people report contagion within hours of their visit. Here are figures published yesterday by the WHO that show that it is important to be responsible for your own safety and that of others while out socialising - or else there's the risk of a terminal decline in the businesses where recreational drinking is available.

In short, so far as responsible behaviour is concerned, put up or pub shut.

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UK flexes its post EU membership muscles - imposes sanctions on individuals and entitles

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The UK's first foray into independent sanctions is a fascinating mix of politics with messages hidden in each one.

Publication:

Sanctions In Action

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20200707 Full list of Sanctions issued by the UK on 6 February 2020

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This is the full text of the UK's initial sanctions list published 6 July 2020, segregated into topics. We have also reproduced the UK's statement about the status of sanctions.

See here for commentary.

Publication:

Sanctions In Action

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