Latest news with #WayneJacobs
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Armed robbers in Pennsylvania Brinks truck heist took over $700,000: Police
Police are investigating whether the armed robbery of a Brinks truck on Tuesday outside a Philadelphia-area store is related to four other attacks on armored vehicles in and around the city this summer. Two armed males got away with between $700,000 and $800,000 in the midday Tuesday heist at an H Mart in Elkins Park, according to Cheltenham Township police. The robbers — one described as armed with an AR-15-style pistol, the other with a handgun — fled with the cash and later abandoned their vehicle nearby, police said. Advertisement 4 The two armed men reportedly escaped with between $700,000 and $800,000. Cheltanham Township Police 4 One man was described to be armed with an AR-15-style pistol. Cheltanham Township Police No shots were fired, and no one was injured. Advertisement Cheltenham Township Police Lt. Andrew Snyder said it's the first such robbery in their township, but authorities are looking into whether it may be connected to four robberies of armored cars in and around Philadelphia since June that police and the FBI are investigating as possibly related. Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that three people from Philadelphia who were arrested in early August are charged in connection with the $2 million armed robbery of a Brink's armored vehicle outside a Home Depot on June 21. A Loomis armored transport vehicle was held up outside an Aldi in a different neighborhood five days later. Then on July 2, a Brinks truck was held up outside a Dollar General at a shopping center. 4 Cheltenham Township Police Lt. Andrew Snyder said it's the first such robbery in their township. Cheltanham Township Police Advertisement 4 No shots were fired and no one was injured during the heist. Cheltanham Township Police And on July 15, police had a report of two suspects robbing one of the armored vehicles in northeast Philadelphia. FBI agent Wayne Jacobs told CBS News Philadelphia that law enforcement recovered most of the money stolen in the June 21 heist, as well as a number of long weapons and handguns. Advertisement Some of the money had been spent on jewelry, clothes and other items, he said. 'If this is the type of activity you're going to engage in, if you look at the timeline, six weeks from the time of the incident until the time of the arrest,' Jacobs said, 'it's just a matter of time before you're held accountable for your actions.'
UPI
04-08-2025
- UPI
FBI warns of scam targeting foreign college students
On Monday, officials at the FBI's Philadelphia office said that college and university students studying abroad in the U.S. -- particularly Chinese citizens -- are at risk of an ongoing scheme that involves a foreign government impersonator. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 4 (UPI) -- FBI officials in Philadelphia on Monday issued an advisory warning international college students about a scam that involves foreign impersonators. They advised potential victims to report it. Officials at the Philadelphia office of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation say that college and university students studying abroad in the United States -- particularly Chinese citizens -- are at risk of an ongoing scheme that involves a foreign government impersonator. "We are actively engaging with the public, academic institutions, and our law enforcement partners to identify and support those impacted by this scheme," Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office, said in a statement. According to FBI officials, since 2022 the Philadelphia office has seen an uptick in criminal activity with actors attempting to make a victim believe they are a Chinese police officer in order to defraud them. A scammer will tell a victim they are under investigation for an alleged financial crime in China and will need to pay in order to to avoid arrest. The typically four-phase scam will see a fraudster call from what appears to be a legitimate phone number associated with a mobile telephone service provider. They will inform a victim their private information had been "linked to either a subject or a victim of a financial fraud investigation," officials say. They added that a criminal actor will involve another person who acts as a provincial Chinese police officer and will seek to apply further pressure in attempts to get a potential victim to "return to China to face trial or threaten them with arrest." "Criminal actors direct victims to consent to 24/7 video and audio monitoring due to the alleged sensitivity of the investigation and/or to demonstrate the victims' innocence," the FBI's Philadelphia field office stated Monday. "Victims are instructed not to discuss the details of the case, not to conduct Internet searches, and to report all their daily activities," it added. The bureau gave a similar notice last year about China-based imposters seeking to extort money from victims. Other scams in the past also have affected Chinese victims. In 2019, the Chinese mother of a Stanford University student expelled in the college admissions scandal said she was duped into paying over $6 million in the belief the money was for college-related costs. Jacobs, the FBI's Philadelphia field office chief, says the scams "inflict more than just financial harm." He said many victims "endure lasting emotional and psychological distress."
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
FBI Philadelphia warns of university fraud scheme targeting international students
The Brief FBI Philadelphia has issued a warning about a "University Scheme" targeting international students for money. Federal officials say they have seen several dozen cases involving students in Philadelphia since 2022. FBI officials detail the four phases of the scheme to look out for. PHILADELPHIA - With spring semesters underway, FBI Philadelphia warns of "University Scheme" targeting international students for money. The FBI is partnering with Philadelphia universities and law enforcement as students settle in for the spring semester to warn about a fraud scheme that continues to prey on international students. What we know Federal officials tell FOX 29 they have seen several dozen cases involving students in Philadelphia since 2022. It involves criminal actors impersonating Chinese police officers to defraud students, particularly Chinese students, by telling them they are under investigation for an alleged financial crime in China and need to pay to avoid arrest. "We have seen an increasing number of students report that they are victims of these scams, and as many as we've seen report, we know there are many more victims out there," said Wayne Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. The scheme typically consists of four phases, according to the FBI: Criminal actors place a call to victims, appearing to be a phone number associated with a mobile telephone service provider, a large retailer, a delivery service, or the Chinese Embassy/Consulate. The criminal actors inform victims their personal identifiable information is linked to either a subject or a victim of a financial fraud investigation. Criminal actors then allegedly transfer the call to a Chinese provincial police department that is allegedly investigating the victims. A criminal actor posing as a Chinese police officer informs victims of the details of the alleged crime and may pressure victims to return to China to face trial or threaten them with arrest. Criminal actors direct victims to consent to 24/7 video and audio monitoring due to the alleged sensitivity of the investigation and/or to demonstrate the victims' innocence. Victims are instructed not to discuss the details of the case, not to conduct internet searches, and to report all their daily activities. Criminal actors instruct victims to wire a large sum of money to a Chinese bank account to prove their innocence or to post bail to avoid returning to China. "These are kids who are here alone separated from family," said SAC Jacobs. "The range of loss amounts here are quite significant, hundreds of thousands of dollars being supplied." In any instance where you answer the phone and think you might be dealing with a scammer, the FBI says to try to slow things down and ask questions, and remember that you should never have to provide personal or banking information over the phone. If reporting the crime immediately, SAC Jacobs says they are often successful in getting money back for victims, but fraudsters are getting more creative. "Unfortunately, the fraudsters are getting hip to the crypto game, and that presents a unique challenge in that the funds there move a lot quicker," he said. "While we are able to trace funds through crypto analysis, it does present a bit of a unique challenge in trying to slow things down and ultimately recover the funds." The FBI says A.I. continues to give fraudsters more capability to sound and look legitimate. "It's becoming increasingly difficult to separate legitimate calls from fraudulent calls because we are seeing phone numbers get spoofed, voices being duplicated, all in the name of building additional credibility," says SAC Jacobs. "It's only a matter of time before we identify these individuals, bring them to account." What you can do If you or someone you know is a victim of this crime, you can report it to local law enforcement, the FBI Philadelphia Office at 215-418-4000, or by submitting an online report at The Source The information in this story is from FBI Philadelphia officials.
