By KS
UNITED STATES: IRS Issues Scam Warning
The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry today warned of a new text scam created by thieves that trick people into disclosing bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 Economic Impact Payment.
The IRS, states and industry, working together as the Security Summit, remind taxpayers that neither the IRS nor state agencies will ever text taxpayers asking for bank account information so that an EIP deposit may be made.
“Criminals are relentlessly using COVID-19 and Economic Impact Payments as cover to try to trick taxpayers out of their money or identities,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “This scam is a new twist on those we’ve been seeing much of this year. We urge people to remain alert to these types of scams.”
The scam text message states: “You have received a direct deposit of $1,200 from COVID-19 TREAS FUND. Further action is required to accept this payment into your account. Continue here to accept this payment…” The text includes a link to a fake phishing web address.
This fake phishing URL, which appears to come from a state agency or relief organization, takes recipients to a fraudulent website that impersonates the IRS.gov Get My Payment website. Individuals who visit the fraudulent website and then enter their personal and financial account information will have their information collected by these scammers.
People who receive this text scam should take a screen shot of the text message that they received and then include the screenshot in an email to phishing@irs.gov with the following information:
· Date/Time/Timezone that they received the text message
· The number that appeared on their Caller ID
· The number that received the text message
The IRS does not send unsolicited texts or emails. The IRS does not call people with threats of jail or lawsuits, nor does it demand tax payments on gift cards.
People who believe they are eligible for the Economic Impact Payment should go directly to IRS.gov. People who do not have a filing requirement but who are eligible for EIP can use a non-filers tool on IRS.gov until November 21 to claim their payment.
EUROPE: Tracking Stolen Cars
An international operation supported by INTERPOL has highlighted the scale of motor vehicle crime in Europe, including the smuggling of stolen vehicles, spare parts and document fraud.
The two-week (October 12 – 23) Operation Mobile 3 was undertaken in the framework of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), as part of the Joint Action Day (JAD) Mobile initiative led by Frontex, the European Border and Cost Guard Agency.
Experts from INTERPOL’s Stolen Motor Vehicle unit were deployed to the Coordination Centre at Frontex headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, to help officers from participating countries exchange, analyze and act on operational data.
INTERPOL supported the operation by crosschecking in real time the information collected in the field against its international databases, with Europol also supporting the operation remotely.
Involving checks at border crossing points and in-land activities in 16 EU countries and five countries in the Balkan region, the international operation resulted in the following:
· 44,000 checks against motor vehicles, with the authorities detecting 352 stolen vehicles and 1,077 stolen vehicle parts on lorries and in chop shops, leading to new investigations against criminal gangs involved in car crime.
· The arrest of 17 suspected people smugglers. The smugglers were allegedly transporting the migrants via land routes in trailers, as well on small boats, often stolen ones, via the Adriatic Sea.
· Dozens of forged or falsified ID documents and vehicles documents were also discovered.
· The seizure of illegal drugs and arrests of suspected drug smugglers. In Portugal, Policia de Seguranca Publica arrested six people with a ton of Marijuana and 10 kg of heroin. Spain’s Guardia Civil seized 666 kg of hashish and arrested 22 suspected drug smugglers. Latvian authorities also detected 400,000 illegal cigarettes during the operation.
· In Greece, the police seized 15 rental cars which suspected criminals attempted to smuggle out of the European Union.
The operation facilitated crucial information-gathering and analysis, in order to detect potential links to transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking and migrant smuggling.
It also allowed European officers to establish a stronger law enforcement network and to familiarize themselves with INTERPOL’s Stolen Motor Vehicles database, which contains 7.4 million records.
“Organized crime groups use stolen vehicles to generate profits and facilitate other crimes such as people smuggling and drug trafficking,” said Matthias Marth, Criminal Intelligence Officer with INTERPOL’s Stolen Motor Vehicle unit.
“INTERPOL’s involvement in this initiative underlines our continuous commitment to supporting our European partners in their actions.”
AFRICA: Another Contentious Election
“The United States is not the only nation on the planet dealing with a tense and unruly election.
In a statement, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that she had been disturbed by reports of continued intimidation and harassment against leaders and members of the opposition.
She also called for the immediate release of those detained for exercising their human rights.
“The tense situation in the country will not be defused by silencing those who challenge the outcome of the elections, but rather through a participatory dialogue”, Ms. Bachelet said, before urging the Tanzanian authorities “to respect and facilitate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly.”
Ms. Bachelet highlighted reports that following vote-casting in the east African nation last month, at least 150 opposition leaders and members had been arrested in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
While most have been subsequently released, at least 18 reportedly remain in custody, the UN rights chief said.
Ms. Bachelet also noted that ahead of the arrests, police officials announced that they would not allow protests to go ahead. They cited allegation of “plans to cause chaos”, the High Commissioner said, adding that they threatened to use force and detain anyone taking part in demonstrations.
Under international law, there is a presumption in favor of considering assemblies to be peaceful, the High Commissioner stressed.
She called on the Government of Tanzania to ensure that security forces and law enforcement officials act according to the rule of law and human rights norms and standards.
The developments follow reported pre-election intimidation and harassment of civil society organizations and journalists, as well as allegations of police brutality against opposition members and their supporters on the day of the election.
Ms. Bachelet also called for prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into all allegations of human rights violations before, during and after the polls.
In particular, she urged action to investigate the killing of at least 10 people and the injuries sustained by more than 50 others in Zanzibar on October 26 – two days before the vote.
The High Commissioner also expressed concern at internet restrictions – including the blocking of social media and messaging platforms – and the censoring of election-related content.
ASIA
Activist in Dire Straits
The deteriorating health of Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul is “deeply alarming,” UN-appointed rights experts said on Nov. 4, calling for her release along with “all other women human rights defenders in detention.”
In a statement underscoring the need for Ms. Al-Hathloul’s urgent release, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) stressed the importance of all women human rights defenders, saying that they “bring voices from the ground and invaluable insights.”
Ms. Al-Hathloul had, for several years, been promoting women’s rights in her country, including campaigns calling for women to be allowed to drive and an end to male guardianship.
In February 2018, during its periodic reports on Saudi Arabia, she shared valuable input with CEDAW.
That May, the Saudi activist was arrested and detained on national security grounds, reportedly in circumstances that amounted to arbitrary arrest and detention. Her charges were in part based on her testimony to the Committee.
Although the Kingdom assured CEDAW in February 2020 that Ms. Al-Hathloul’s trial hearing would take place in March, it has been postponed several times and has yet to take place.
Against this backdrop, on the second anniversary of her detention, the UN rights experts recalled its statement of 27 February calling on Saudi Arabia “to ensure her right to a fair trial without further delay, with full respect for the procedural guarantees established by international human rights law, and free from gender bias.”
CEDAW also expressed alarm over the conditions of Ms. Al-Hathloul’s prolonged detention, which had prompted her on October 26 to start a hunger strike in protest.
Unlike other detainees, and contrary to the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners, the Saudi activist is “not allowed to have regular contact with her family nor to exercise activities, according to reports received,” they flagged.
“We, the Committee experts, are gravely concerned about Ms. Al-Hathloul’s physical and mental health and well-being particularly in light of her hunger strike,” they spelled out.
The Committee appealed to His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to use his royal prerogative powers to Ms. Loujain Al-Hathloul from detention, who “has been unduly prolonged.”
“We urge the Saudi authorities to protect her rights to life, health, and liberty and security of person at all times, while fully respecting her freedoms of conscience and expression, including by going on hunger strike,” the statement concluded.
