Fraud Squad

A teacher hires a mover to move her belongings from New Haven, CT to Radford, VA. The company's estimate was $2,230. On moving day the movers loaded their truck, locks it and then present the victim with a bill for $4,745 - more than double the original quote. If not paid, they threaten to dispose of her belongings.

The team investigates counterfeit money and mortgage fraud cases.

This story will show how scam artists take advantage of people's generosity to charities. The victims and experts will discuss how it is not only the donors that are victimized, but the integrity of the legitimate organizations as well.

A travel agent is sentenced to four years for defrauding over 30 customers out of more than $278,000 in bogus vacation packages.

An elderly couple hires a home improvement firm. The company charges them $900,000 for $60,000 worth of work! The woman became so distraught by the experience that she suffered a heart attack and died. Her Alzheimer-afflicted husband had to be institutionalized. The contractor was finally caught and sentenced to 114 months in prison.

Are you a financially responsible individual? "Ann Marie" thought she was until collection agencies began calling her demanding the repayment of thousands of dollars in loans. A woman assuming "Ann Marieʼs" identity, with only a social insurance number and driver's license number, opened a bank account and stole thousands of dollars in lines of credits and credit cards in her name.

A woman takes a $4,800 cheque from a fraudster and pays him $3,500. Expecting the cheque to be good, she anticipates profiting by $1,300, but the cheque bounces and she loses her $3,500. A college student trying to earn some extra cash and finds himself involved in a job where instead of making money, he loses it due to a fraudulent cheque.

Repeat Fraudster Harris Dempsey ''Butch'' Ballow wasted no time when he was released on bail after being convicted of a stock fraud. He set up another stock scam taking more than $3 million. Ballow did not appear in court for his sentencing in his previous $10 million pump & dump and remains a fugitive at large today.

A man approaches several homeowners and tells them that he is paving driveways in their neighborhood. He offers to do theirs at the same special rate. He takes their money but never completes the work.

A homebuilder suffers eye damage after fraudulent Oakley sunglasses shatter. He sued the retailer that sold the counterfeit merchandise and was awarded $70,000. Elena Lutchfield, a young woman from Portland, Oregon was living in fear after being the victim of identity fraud. The investigation of her case led to the raid of the scam artists' home and to their arrest.

Kristine Eubanks and Gerald Sullivan create a fake TV show and defraud over 10,000 people of more than $20 million. Fines Arts Treasures was an auction style show broadcast on national television. Viewers thought they were buying original pieces of art from famous artists like Picasso, Dali, Rousseau and Chagall but everything was fake, right down to the certificates of authenticity.

A profile on resume fraud and how fake credentials can hurt the reputation of legitimate academic institutions, businesses and even risk peopleʼs lives. Includes Interviews with three prominent experts in this field. Fraudsters set-up fake offices in a scheme to rip-off elderly investors.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of cars are stolen in North America. Car thieves go so far as to break into Peopleʼs homes to get their car keys. Learn how it affects car insurance rates and how you can protect yourself. In an ultimate act of breach of trust, a college professor defrauds the families of eight of his own students.