NEW YORK (AP) – The leader of the New York Senate surrendered Monday to face charges including extortion and soliciting bribes after investigators looking into the awarding of a $12 million contract to a company that hired his son said they captured him on wiretaps boasting of his power.

Dean Skelos, 67, of Long Island and his 32-year-old son, Adam, surrendered at the FBI’s offices in lower Manhattan as a criminal complaint was unsealed against them in federal court, where they were expected to appear later in the day.

Authorities said Dean Skelos – New York state’s most powerful Republican official -has used his position as a carrot since at least 2010, taking official actions in return for payments to his son.

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Recently my family’s personal information was compromised. The culprit wasn’t a phishing scam like a Nigerian prince emailing me with the promise of lots of money. Our information fell into the hands of criminals via the IRS by filing a fraudulent tax return using one of our Social Security numbers.

Identity theft professionals told us the IRS is aware of this worsening issue, but have implemented few safeguards to mitigate the problem. The IRS admits there was a 66 percent increase in identity theft investigations between 2012 and 2013. Yet they’ve done nothing proactive to prevent these offenses.

After Floridian burglar Eric Spivey was arrested in December last year, he told the police he thought identity fraud was going on in a house he’d been burgling, explaining that it appeared that fake credit cards were being manufactured there.

Skeptical police went back to the house two days, saying they wanted to talk to the resident about the burglary, but actually to check out the fraud accusation.

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Police arrested two men under suspicion of nationwide credit card fraud in Palm Desert Wednesday afternoon.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a Palm Desert business in the 73-000 block of El Paseo Drive just after 2 p.m., where three men were allegedly trying to use a fraudulent credit card.

The men fled upon the deputies’ arrival, but police were able to apprehend two of the three suspects.

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INDIANAPOLIS—Chad Ducey, 39, of Fishers, Indiana, pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a multi-state scheme to defraud biodiesel buyers and U.S. taxpayers by fraudulently selling biodiesel incentives. His two brothers, Chris Ducey, 48, of North Webster, Indiana, and Craig Ducey, 44, of Fishers, pleaded guilty last week for their roles in the same scheme. The Ducey brothers operated E-biofuels LLC, from a facility in Middletown, Indiana. As part of the scheme, they sold over 35 million gallons of biodiesel to customers for more than $145 million by falsely claiming that the fuel was eligible for federal renewable energy incentives, when they knew it was not. In addition, Craig Ducey pleaded guilty to a related $58.9 million securities fraud, which victimized over 625 investors and shareholders of Imperial Petroleum, a publicly-traded company and the parent company of E-biofuels, announced Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler of the Southern District of Indiana.

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GULFPORT — A New York man has pleaded guilty to his role in a global cybercrime ring uncovered by federal agents in Gulfport.

Olutoyin Ogunlade, 41, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to commit offenses against the United States as part of a West African crime ring that scammed hundreds of Americans out of millions of dollars.

Ogunlade is a citizen of both the U.S. and Nigeria.

A defence contractor run by one of Britain’s best-known military figures is under criminal investigation by the US government’s watchdog against fraud and waste in Afghanistan, The Independent can reveal.

It can also be revealed that the company founded by Colonel Tim Collins OBE – who is best known for delivering a powerful speech to his men on the eve of the Iraq war – is facing questions over a $176m (£116m) US contract to train Afghan security forces in counterinsurgency.

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This new industry, some of it based around the City of London, is exposed in the ITV series Fraud Squad, which is returning for a second season.

The stories of victims groomed to hand over their savings to fund property scams in the UK are both disturbing and heartrending.

“The criminals are basically buying worthless agricultural land and selling it to the public, all on the basis that it’s a great investment, but the fact is that there will be no development and it’s all a big con,” says DCI Perry Stokes from City of London Police, which is tackling the scams.

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I received a disturbing call from my credit card company, telling me there was an unauthorized charge on my card. They knew my name, credit card number and other details. But, something about the call didn’t seem right. When I hung up, I decided to call the number on the back of the card. I learned there was not an unauthorized charge on my account. Who called me?

Read more at: http://www.idahopress.com/business/fraudulent-fraud-department-calls-a-new-trick/article_b4257d8c-eaff-11e4-b7c0-2f3c9f1df3b1.html