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Preposterous Imposters (Identity Thieves; Fraudsters; Etc.)

Another race faker.

A diversity officer who allegedly told colleagues she was of Latin, South Asian and Arab descent was ‘outed’ as being white by her mum.

Raquel Saraswati, a Chief Inclusion Officer at Philadelphia-based Quaker group American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), has been accused of ‘cultural vulturism’ and ‘faking’ her heritage.

The 39-year-old’s mother openly claimed her daughter is ‘white as snow’ and is really of English, German and Italian descent.

Carole Perone told The Intercept: ‘I call her Rachel. I don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing.

‘I’m as white as the driven snow and so is she. I’m German and British, and her father was Calabrese Italian. She’s chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad.’

An open letter from a ‘group of individuals who care deeply about AFSC’ expressed concern about Saraswati, and claimed to provide an ‘in-depth analysis of her ancestry’.

The authors called on the organisation to investigate ‘why a member of its most senior leadership has so profoundly eroded trust among people of color’.

Her colleagues are said to be concerned she is actively undermining their work, and have noted ‘the shades of bronzer she applies to her face have become darker over time’. ...

https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/21/race...-as-white-as-snow-18320358/?ico=related-posts
 
Stayed in 5 star hotels at government expense.

Indian police have arrested a man for posing as a senior official from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office.

Kiran Patel was on a visit to the Kashmir valley on 2 March when he was detained by security officials, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. He was arrested the next day. Police has charged him with cheating, impersonation and forgery.

A police complaint filed against him says Patel was trying to secure "monetary" and "material benefits".

Patel's arrest came to light on Thursday when he was produced in court. He has a verified Twitter account and counts an official of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) among his followers. Photos shared by Patel on his Twitter and Instagram pages show him on "official visits" to Kashmir surrounded by paramilitary guards.

According to PTI, on one visit, Patel claimed he had been asked by the government to identify buyers for apple orchards in south Kashmir. On another visit, he travelled to popular skiing destination Gulmarg and claimed the government had asked him to look into improvement of hotel facilities in the area.

Reports say Patel was given the highest level of security, travelled in a bulletproof car and stayed at official accommodation at a five-star hotel during his visits.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64974627
 
Another pathological liar & fraudster.

A fraudster who made up a fake counsellor to con a bereavement charity has been jailed for a year.

Stephanie Jones, 30, defrauded 2 Wish Upon A Star by sending it false invoices worth £3,570 over nine months. Police had to contact the family of a murdered girl to discover if she had helped them, as she had claimed.

At Caernarfon Crown Court Judge Nicola Saffman said the behaviour of "chronic liar" Jones, of Nebo, Gwynedd, was "vile, unthinkable and despicable".

Jones had previously admitted fraud by abuse of position.

Patrick Gartland, prosecuting, said the charity was set up in 2012 to support families in the immediate aftermath of a child's death. He said Jones had applied for a job with the charity as an immediate support co-ordinator in February 2020. She claimed to have a sociology PhD, which would have entitled her to use the title of doctor. In reality she had taken a master's degree at Bangor University.

She also falsely claimed she had a twin sister who had died from cancer aged five. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-65057587
 
Bizarre that she'd go that far to avoid a fine. She'll likely go to prison now.

An Australian woman has admitted trying to pin a driving fine on a pilot killed in a horrific mid-air helicopter crash.

Stephanie Louise Bennett was caught using her phone while behind the wheel, but used details in Ashley Jenkinson's obituary to accuse him of the offence. The UK-born pilot was among four people killed when two helicopters collided near Brisbane in January. Ms Bennett pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft on Wednesday. She will be sentenced in May.

Police say the 33-year-old was sent a fine notice in early January, shortly after she was caught using her phone while driving - an offence which attracts a penalty of A$1,078 (£575). She disputed the fine online, instead nominating Mr Jenkinson - who she did not know - as the driver at the time of the offence in December.

Mr Jenkinson's partner alerted authorities after receiving the fine notice weeks after his death.

Ms Bennett had previously avoided court - instead trying to enter a guilty plea by email, which the magistrate rejected - and disguised herself with a scarf as she arrived to heckles on Wednesday.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65395488
 
Another scam.

Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) has issued a warning that members of the public have been masquerading as revenue protection officers.

People have been reported as wearing unofficial, hi-vis vests onboard the Northern Commuter and DART lines in Dublin.

The rail provider confirmed at least four reported incidents on Friday morning.

Passengers have been advised to confirm ID when approached for tickets or when being issued onboard fines.

A spokeswoman for Iarnród Éireann said the operator would never request onboard cash for an invalid ticket.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj5101pvz56o
 
"Scammer poses as God and Asks woman for deposits at the bank of heaven" !

This one seems too good to be true : through divine phone calls, a conman apparently convinced a deluded lady to deposit 300 000 € of her savings in his shop (he was a shop owner) pretending to be God ! And the crazy old lady, who already had received poltergeist like communications from the Virgin Mary, did it.

Here is the article : https://www.odditycentral.com/news/...or-deposits-at-bank-of-heaven.html#more-79129

I could not check the source as the link to the Spanish orginal article does not work on my computer. While googling "deposit money at His ‘Church of Heaven’." for alternative sources, I realized that the whole concept of a "making deposits on an heavenly account" seems quite popular online ! If the story is true, that may explain how the scammer got his idea.
 
Only someone named Napoleon could keep this scam going for 55 years.

Napoleon Gonzalez, 86, stole his brother's identity in 1965 and was finally caught and convicted of wire fraud more than 55 years later.

His sibling had died as an infant and Gonzales spent most of his life claiming benefits under both names–a habit that finally caught up to him when facial recognition software "matched the same face to two different identities."

A U.S. District Court jury in Bangor on Friday convicted him of mail fraud, Social Security fraud, passport fraud and identity theft. Mail fraud carries the greatest potential prison sentence, up to 20 years.
His attorney said Tuesday that he intends to appeal and will seek to keep Gonzalez out of prison until the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a ruling.
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When they say "facial recognition software" the mind wanders to all sorts of frighting surveillance-dystopia things, but it also seems quite possible he just used the exact same photo and was caught by a simple anti-fraud checksum script looking for duplicated faces and stock art. According to the AP they caught him once before but he somehow not only got out of it but started receiving his brother's benefits again, so we are definitely on the dullest edge of Hanlon's Razor here.

https://boingboing.net/2023/08/25/8...acial-recognition-software-turned-him-in.html
 
ramonmercado said:
Only someone named Napoleon could keep this scam going for 55 years.

Napoleon Gonzalez, 86, stole his brother's identity in 1965 and was finally caught and convicted of wire fraud more than 55 years later.

His sibling had died as an infant and Gonzales spent most of his life claiming benefits under both names–a habit that finally caught up to him when facial recognition software "matched the same face to two different identities."



When they say "facial recognition software" the mind wanders to all sorts of frighting surveillance-dystopia things, but it also seems quite possible he just used the exact same photo and was caught by a simple anti-fraud checksum script looking for duplicated faces and stock art. According to the AP they caught him once before but he somehow not only got out of it but started receiving his brother's benefits again, so we are definitely on the dullest edge of Hanlon's Razor here.

https://boingboing.net/2023/08/25/8...acial-recognition-software-turned-him-in.html
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I would guess that, at 86, the attorney can keep constantly appealing and keeping his client out of jail until he dies.
 
Fake plastic surgeon bungled 'penis enhancement' surgery that saw patient die in agony

Bogus medic Torben K, 46, from Solingen, Germany, injected the patient's manhood and scrotum with silicone oil during - what was supposed to be - a girth-enhancing procedure. The 32-year-old victim - not named in court - died of sepsis seven months after the agonising operation in July 2019.

He visited several hospitals, but later died of blood poisoning, as well as liver and kidney failure. Prosecutors said he spent months in agony in a specialist intensive care unit before he died in February 2020.

Meanwhile, investigations showed that the restaurant worker had also treated a second man with the same life-threatening injections in March this year. When asked, however, Torben K refused to reveal the type of silicone oil used in the procedures.

On Monday, judges in Wuppertal district court jailed Torban K for five years after he was found guilty of causing death by grievous bodily harm. The verdict is not yet legally binding. (?)
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5 years for impersonating a surgeon & killing someone seems a bit light to me..
 
More race fakers. They may have a defence though - in Canada men can Self-ID as women and vice versa. So why not Self-ID into a different race they might say.

Three women in Canada have been criminally charged after allegedly pretending to be Inuit to receive benefits from indigenous organisations.

According to police, two 25-year-old sisters committed fraud by posing as adopted Inuit children. Both sisters and their 59-year-old mother are facing two counts of fraud each. One Inuit group called the alleged deception "flabbergasting". The defendants are due in court in the city of Iqaluit on 30 October.

In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said that the sisters - Amira and Nadya Gill - and their mother, Karima Manji, defrauded two local organisations of "funds that are only available to Inuit beneficiaries by obtaining grants and scholarships" between October 2016 and September 2022.

As part of a 1993 indigenous land claim settlement known as the Nunavut Agreement, members of Canada's Inuit community in the sparsely populated northern territory are able to receive benefits such as grants and scholarships.

Registration of indigenous status is overseen by an organisation called Nunavut Tunngavik Inc, or NTI, which represents Inuits in the territory.
In a March statement, NTI said that it had become "aware of possible fraudulent enrolment" of the Gill sisters after Ms Manji claimed that they were adoptive children and identified an Inuk woman as their birth mother.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66890945
 

Another fake nurse caught trying to get work in British Columbia hospitals, college says​

The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives has issued a public advisory about a woman they say has been pretending to be a nurse and trying to get work in a hospital.

talaue-1-6694549-1703028805180.jpeg


Charrybelle Talaue is not a registered nurse and has never been one.

Talaue may also use the names Charrybelle Perez Talaue, Charrybelle Talaue Baldesancho, Belle Talaue, Belle Marie, Charrybelle Baldesancho or Charie Talaue, according to the public notice.

She could also be using the name of a real registered nurse, Yves Anglehart, or variations of that name including Belle Yves Talaue Anglehart or Yves Belle Anglehart.

The news follows the high-profile 2021 arrest of Brigitte Cleroux, a serial imposter who worked as a perioperative nurse at B.C. Women's Hospital for a year, despite having no credentials.

Cleroux is currently facing 17 criminal charges, including allegations of assaulting 10 patients.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fake-nurse-bc-nursing-college-1.6995434

maximus otter
 
I'm always puzzled why people get so more outraged over frauds who steal from charities than frauds who steal money from anyone else.
I get it - it's morally repugnant because of the victim. But being a charitable cause doesn't give them moral 'armour' against criminals. I've known one incident where a local charity worker was counting out takings from the till at the counter ... next to the door! Bloke rushed in, scooped all the money into a bucket and ran before the worker could get out from behind the counter. Apparently, counting out was always done this way, next to the unlocked door etc. They just couldn't imagine someone would do this!
Another time, local news presented the case of someone who'd robbed three plastic collection pots from a quiet pub in the afternoon. The bar staff were in the backroom doing a chore. The landlord hadn't bothered to even tie/chain the pots to the bar. Cue the outrage! Well, blow me - put a box containing cash on a bar and leave it for a while; no one is criminal enough to pick up the money and run away!
I've always asserted that you might want to trust people, to expect a certain amount of decency. They are in the majority. But you sure as hell don't put temptation there, or ignore common sense.
Just a thought after reading about charity scams and fraudsters. Being 'for charity, mate' is no defence.
 
It's a fascinating thread nonetheless, I was told that back when it was very hard to check records it was very common especially in business to fake qualifications and references as they were hardly ever checked, and that if you were reasonably competent you were OK, there have been a few fake psychiatrists who have received glowing reports from their patients which says a lot about that profession
 
Robbrent said:
It's a fascinating thread nonetheless, I was told that back when it was very hard to check records it was very common especially in business to fake qualifications and references as they were hardly ever checked, [...]
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That's the funny thing, isn't it? I dunno about now, but in the 80's, when I got my O levels and CSE's we were told to guard our certificates wisely because they were irreplaceable and we'd need them for job applications. True, no job I got actually had anything to do with the qualifications I had (another discussion point) but while I was asked to list my qualifications, they were never checked. I'm sure it's possible to follow up higher levels (such as my City & Guilds) but I imagine most - if not all - employers don't have the time to check references deeply.
 
Son-in-law fails in court: million euro prize stays father-in-law's

A man from Rijswijk does not have to receive 3.2 million euros from the State Lottery. The man had initiated summary proceedings because he claimed that his 80-year-old father-in-law had stolen his winning lottery ticket. The latter allegedly swapped the lottery ticket for another and then collected the prize. The outcome of the summary proceedings was that the State Lottery was within its rights in paying out the prize.

The Rijswijker bought several lottery tickets on 2 September for the 1 October draw. On one of them fell the top prize of €3.2 million.

Three days after the draw, his father-in-law reported to the State Lottery. The latter said he had received the winning ticket as a gift from his son-in-law. The latter reported to the State Lottery a day later with the story that his father-in-law had stolen the winning ticket and that it was his.

On this, the State Lottery started an investigation. The father-in-law, supported by his daughter and another son-in-law, stated that he had received the lottery ticket as a gift and that it happened more often in the family that they bought lottery tickets and gave one to the father-in-law.

According to the State Lottery, the participant rules stipulate that the prize must be paid to the person showing the winning ticket. And that was the father-in-law.

Swap trick

The court first stated that summary proceedings do not lend themselves to a definitive answer to the question of who owns the winning State lottery ticket. The issue in these summary proceedings was whether the State Lottery could reasonably proceed to pay out to the father-in-law.

The Rijswijker said that his father-in-law wanted to "hold the winning ticket for a moment" and then managed to swap it with another ticket. The State Lottery said that this would not have gone unnoticed, also because the father-in-law suffers from "impaired hand motor skills".

The court agreed. "Especially since it may be assumed that an owner of a winning lottery ticket will be particularly careful with that," the court ruled.
https://nos.nl/artikel/2503828-scho...rechter-miljoenenprijs-blijft-van-schoonvader
 
Man accused of falsely claiming to be a hospital doctor for months is charged by police


A man has been arrested and charged after allegedly posing as a doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The 20-year-old suspect was apprehended by police during the early hours of Friday and is expected to appear in court at a later date.

It is alleged that the man falsely claimed to be a medical student and doctor over several months.

He was reportedly caught by hospital staff in the emergency department.

https://news.sky.com/story/man-accu...ctor-for-months-is-charged-by-police-13059908

maximus otter
 
"Where did you get your qualifications?"
"University of You Tube."
 
Barking mad or crazy like a fox?

A county council was forced to get gardaí to call to the home of a man who was pretending to be a dog warden and handing out €20 fines to members of the public.

The rogue warden was pretending to be an official from South Dublin County Council and was defrauding owners who were letting their dogs off the leash in a public park.

Emails from the council reveal how the fraudster had eventually been spotted by a member of staff while attempting his scam in Tymon Park near Tallaght.

One message said: “I have been informed that the park ranger came across the fake dog warden operating this morning. The fake warden ran off. The park ranger got a partial reg [licence plate] and has passed this information to An Garda Síochána.”

A later message said the county council had been able to track down the full plate for the car and an investigation was under way.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41324914.html
 
Stormkhan said:
That's the funny thing, isn't it? I dunno about now, but in the 80's, when I got my O levels and CSE's we were told to guard our certificates wisely because they were irreplaceable and we'd need them for job applications. True, no job I got actually had anything to do with the qualifications I had (another discussion point) but while I was asked to list my qualifications, they were never checked. I'm sure it's possible to follow up higher levels (such as my City & Guilds) but I imagine most - if not all - employers don't have the time to check references deeply.
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When I joined the civil service you had to have at least 5GCSE at grade C including Maths and English language anda science. 7 years on I and 3 moves later I was hauled before senior management and quizzed about my certificate As an anomaly had been found.
There was no record of my having Maths at the required level. It was on a seperate certificate and the official copy had been seperated from my personal record. Luckily I had paid attention to those size words about keeping them safe and was able to produce the original within the required time frame.
 

Man dressed up in NHS clothing and official-looking badge to attend resuscitation and children's areas of a hospital​


A man who dressed up in NHS clothing and carrying a fake ID so he could access resuscitation and children's areas of a hospital has admitted breaching the peace.

Lee Woods 'repeatedly' accessed Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital over several months and behaved in a 'disorderly manner', court papers state.

The 28-year-old - who was not an employee - pleaded guilty at Glasgow Crown Court to a single charge of breaching the peace.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...reas-hospital-admits-impersonating-nurse.html

maximus otter
 
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ramonmercado said:
Barking mad or crazy like a fox?

A county council was forced to get gardaí to call to the home of a man who was pretending to be a dog warden and handing out €20 fines to members of the public.

The rogue warden was pretending to be an official from South Dublin County Council and was defrauding owners who were letting their dogs off the leash in a public park.

Emails from the council reveal how the fraudster had eventually been spotted by a member of staff while attempting his scam in Tymon Park near Tallaght.

One message said: “I have been informed that the park ranger came across the fake dog warden operating this morning. The fake warden ran off. The park ranger got a partial reg [licence plate] and has passed this information to An Garda Síochána.”

A later message said the county council had been able to track down the full plate for the car and an investigation was under way.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41324914.html
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There has been a LOT of fuss about dogs being let off the lead in public places, mostly after the recent XL Bully attacks on people. Mumsnet has been its usual cheery self about dogs - and there are campaigns to ensure dogs are always on the lead in public places. In some places local orders exist for dogs to have to be on the lead. I wonder if this guy was capitalising on this to make himself some money?

To be honest, even I, as the owner of a dreadful dog, think it's unwise to let your dog off the lead in a public park.
 
I try to explain to owners who proclaim "Oh, my dog is very friendly and safe" that that doesn't apply to every dog - I point out that my lurcher is very playful and friendly but on an off-lead run, he was almost attacked by another off-lead dog, the owner of which whipped at my dog for 'attacking' his.
Point is, the only time you can guarantee you're in control of your dog is when you have them on a lead.
 
Stormkhan said:
I try to explain to owners who proclaim "Oh, my dog is very friendly and safe" that that doesn't apply to every dog - I point out that my lurcher is very playful and friendly but on an off-lead run, he was almost attacked by another off-lead dog, the owner of which whipped at my dog for 'attacking' his.
Point is, the only time you can guarantee you're in control of your dog is when you have them on a lead.
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And, to be honest,not always even then. Some dogs can whip round in the length of a lead and bite. After all, a small dog is quite a long way from the owner's hand on a lead and it gives them a fair bit leeway to attack.
 
Herr Cloaca said:
Actor who posed as CEO says sorry to investors who lost millions
He was paid to play role of chief executive of the crypto investment scheme but denies having ‘pocketed’ any of the money lost
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/11/hyperverse-stephen-harrison-crypto-investors
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To be fair to him this seems to be a "thing" in the far east - https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/in-japan-being-a-token-westerner-is-big-business/
https://medium.com/the-post-grad-su...-strange-post-grad-gigs-in-china-e6c973ab8176
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_monkey
 
If you look like you should be there, and you act confident and at ease, it fools a lot of people.
White coat, stethoscope, and clipboard? Wander around a hospital. Of course, these days, a fake ID on a lanyard must be included.
 
There's something odd going on with a man going by Sheikh Ali Rashed al Maktoum, who claims to be a Saudi prince and has been trying to set up a 'family office' here in Hong Kong. I'm not really clear on what that is, but it's something that can only be done by extremely rich people, and the Hong Kong government are currently encouraging overseas multimillionaires to base their family offices here. He then left partway through the process, saying some important private matters had come up in Dubai.

The media here started to dig a little, and there are a couple of slightly fishy aspects to the story. First of which is that his website was only set up a year ago, and doesn't appear to have any pictures of him with other members of the vast Saudi royal family. But more interesting is that he appears to be the same person as Alira, an Emirati singer who found success and a following in the Philippines singing Tagalog songs. (According to the SCMP, they used some software to check and are in little doubt that they are the same person)

1712131795231.png


So what's the story? Is this man pretending to be a Saudi Prince? Or is he a legitimate Saudi Prince who tried his hand a pop stardom earlier in his career and is now trying to put that world behind him?

EDIT: According to the SCMP, Ali's 'International Strategic Relations Director' Dr. William Tien has been involved with various failed/dodgy business ventures in the past. I looked up the rest of the people on the Sheikh's 'our team' page, and most of them appear to be Filipinos who are based in Dubai, which is at least suggestive. Amira Jewel Lobaton, his 'Head of Business Development' was arrested in the Philippines for participating in an investment scam before she relocated to Dubai.
 
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