WASHINGTON (TNND) — Nick Shirley’s videos went viral almost overnight.
They showed him knocking on taxpayer-funded daycare centers in Minnesota and, in many cases, finding them empty, in what he called a push to expose fraud.
The new law allows workers and volunteers who help immigrants to shield their home addresses from public records. (TNND)
His efforts have resulted in many taxpayer-funded businesses being shut down and also supercharged a nationwide effort to crack down on fraud – now reaching $230 billion, according to the White House.
But Shirley says exposing fraud in other states like California has just been made far more difficult by the bill AB2624, or the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” just signed into law by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The bill was sponsored by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, wife of California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta.
In a video posted online Wednesday,…
These frauds exploit emotional vulnerability and trust rather than technical weaknesses.
- Romance Scams: Scammers build long-term online relationships with victims, eventually fabricating a “crisis” (medical emergency, legal trouble, or travel costs) that requires the victim to send money.
- Pig Butchering: A hybrid scam where the criminal builds a romantic or platonic relationship to eventually “tutor” the victim in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment.