Articles

Apple Fraud

Once portrayed as the safest of shopping environments, Apple’s iTunes Store and in particular its App Store, has received hundreds of online complaints from consumers who say that their accounts have been hijacked or that some apps are falsely advertised. Also complaining are the creators of apps, who say they have to deal with fraudulent purchases that drain their time and resources. Software makers also complain that competition in the App Store has become so brutal that many companies resort to artificially inflating their popularity rankings to grab attention.

Mar 23

Fraud Dog Investigation Leads to Arrest

Randall Seltzer, president of Navarre Industries, a Santa Rosa County construction company, was arrested last week.  Seltzer was charged with multiple felony counts, including workers’ compensation fraud and grand theft.   If convicted, Seltzer could face up to 30 years in prison and may have to pay more than $2.8 million in restitution. “Workers’ compensation insurance is vital to the health and protection of businesses and Florida’s economy as a whole,” Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater said. “Just last week, the Legislature passed reforms that target schemes just like this one that are diverting a billion dollars from Florida’s economy.”

Mar 21

Spotlight on Patriot Risk Services

Patriot Risk Services was spotlighted in the newest issue of Third Party Administrator Update.  Patriot Risk Service a subsidiary of Patriot Services, Inc., is a leader in the worker’s compensation industry.  They are recognized for developing and refining innovative solutions in claims administration and cost containment services. Patriot Risk Services provides claims management services with a strong focus on cost containment. They also provide nurse case management services through their strategic partnerships.  Patriot Risk Services provide subjugation recovery and fraud investigation services through their affiliated entity, Contego Services Group.

Mar 19

Fraud Fighter Featured

Linda Webb, president of Contego Services Group was featured in today’s Sun Sentinel. Her career path has certainly been extraordinary.  Webb has been a bar boxer, police officer, undercover prostitute, dive-rescue-motorcycle-cop-chick and a vice president of the Global Fraud Unit of AIG. Linda Webb’s passion is fighting fraud. She is known as the Fraud Dog because she fights fraud like a dog fights for a bone. She writes a blog on fraud and is working on a reality TV show concept. Her goal is to educate the public on fraud scams and how to protect themselves.

Mar 16

Crowdturfing

Crowdturfing is the practice of masquerading marketing or lobbying campaigns as “grassroots” efforts, it is a disguised marketing ploy which uses social media as its medium for operation. Often centered in China, workers are recruited to create fake profiles and then post on targeted websites to sway the perception of the general public.  This spam is to generate false product reviews and to start rumors. As companies depend more on social media, crowdturfing will become more prevalent.

Mar 16