Justice Department charges 76 in $490M nationwide tax fraud surge – Fox News

The Justice Department announced a nationwide tax fraud crackdown Wednesday involving 76 defendants and more than $490 million in estimated intended tax losses, including new charges against 31 individuals accused of schemes targeting American taxpayers.

The first-ever National Tax Enforcement Surge brought together 35 U.S. attorneys’ offices and IRS criminal investigators over approximately six weeks. The operation resulted in 23 new charging actions involving more than $350 million in alleged intended tax losses, while another 45 defendants were involved in trials, guilty pleas and sentencings associated with nearly $140 million in estimated intended losses.

“Every dollar stolen through tax fraud is a dollar taken from the American people,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a news release “What we uncovered during this concentrated…

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This remains the most prevalent form of financial crime globally. It targets the direct access points to your money: your cards and your bank accounts.

• Skimming: Criminals use small devices called “skimmers” placed over ATM or point-of-sale card slots to capture the data from your card’s magnetic strip.
• Card-Not-Present (CNP) Fraud: This occurs during online shopping where a physical card isn’t required. Thieves use stolen card numbers, expiry dates, and CVV codes to make unauthorized purchases.
• Account Takeover (ATO): A hacker gains access to your online banking credentials (often through malware or phishing) and changes the contact details or passwords, locking you out while they drain your funds.