Excessive Compensation: What to do when the co-owners of your business pay themselves excessively
Recognizing and Avoiding Trademark Scams and Hoaxes
Elder Abuse-Financial Exploitation and Fraud
Legally Qualified: Protecting Against Elder Investment Fraud and Exploitation
Digging Deeper, Episode 1: The Con Queen of Hollywood
What is Consumer Fraud and What Deceptions are Employed?
Business email compromise (BEC) fraud, driven by technology and increasing sophistication by criminal organizations, has become a major issue for both consumers and financial institutions. According to a September 2024...more
Whenever large sums of money are involved, don’t be surprised if scammers come out of the woodwork. This is especially true today, as criminals have a variety of tools at their disposal, such as phishing emails, designed to...more
On 7/16/24, the IRS warned taxpayers and tax professionals how email scams continue to aim to trick taxpayers by stealing sensitive tax and financial information. This information consists of passwords, bank account numbers,...more
"Thank you for your order." "We tried delivering your package." We have all seen these subject lines in our inbox, but some are not so innocent. Business impersonation scams are not new, but some of their tricks are. These...more
Over the years many clients have forwarded to us scam trademark mailings. These mailings come from various official-sounding sources, all of which seek money to allegedly take action regarding the client’s trademarks....more
One recent victim of scams preying on U.S. trademark filers and registrants answered a call that appeared to be from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It wasn’t. The target of the scam was forced to...more
Every month, Erise’s trademark attorneys review the latest developments at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in the courts, and across the corporate world to bring you the stories that you should know about: Travis...more
Especially during the holi-daze, it can be easy to let our safeguards down and fall prey to scammers looking to make a quick buck. Trademark applicants and registrants interacting with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office...more
“Business Email Compromise Scams” or “BEC scams” typically target companies that conduct wire transfers with entities abroad. For example, a fraudster may use an email address that is very similar to that of a business’s...more
Every year, the IRS compiles a list of common scams that taxpayers may encounter – its so-called “Dirty Dozen.” Today, the Service wrapped up the annual Dirty Dozen list of tax scams for 2023 with a reminder for taxpayers,...more
The Nigerian prince seems almost quaint. Gone are the days when the Nigerian prince was the only nefarious figure menacing our inboxes. A simple yet elegant scheme – our supposed prince unexpectedly fell upon a large sum...more
Independent school business officers are tasked with a wide range of responsibilities, including payroll, accounting, accounts payable, investments, and facility security. Unfortunately, many independent schools are...more
Losses arising from email scams are usually covered, if at all, under a company’s crime policy. But a recent decision from The District Court in Minnesota suggests that recourse may also be found under an insured’s cyber or...more
With hurricane season upon us and after this week’s devastation and heartache from Hurricane Ian, there will be opportunities to help the victims in many ways, including financial assistance...more
Email scams and viruses are nothing new—threats like phishing emails and malware have been around since the days when services like AOL still dominated the internet and email landscape. However, while technology has made a...more
According to Microsoft, 91% of cyberattacks start with an email. In an earlier Privacy Peril we provided information on prevalent words phishers of men and women insert in an email subject line to grab the recipient’s...more
In the face of the ever-growing threat of cyberattacks disguised in emails from phishers, impostors and other increasingly sophisticated security scammers, Google has launched a tool to allow organizations to fight back by...more
You receive an email saying that due to COVID-19, a number of regularly scheduled meetings are moving to new dates and times. While hovering over the conveniently provided email link to your calendar, you notice the email...more
Media outlets recently reported that Barbara Corcoran, one of the judges on the popular ABC show "Shark Tank," was the victim of a "spear phishing" scam....more
According to the Association for Financial Professionals’ Payment and Fraud Controls report, 2017 was a record year for payment fraud. The tactics employed by scammers and other malicious outsiders continue to grow more...more
Email is the driving force of communication. Lawyers often receive over 100 emails a day. It can be easy to overlook potential scams hidden in your inbox. Hopefully, your firm has the proper security protocols in place:...more
When you bring to mind someone “hacking” a computer one of the images that likely comes up is a screen of complex code designed to crack through your security technology. Whereas there is a technological element to every...more
Some e-mail marketing ploys are pretty clever and some spam or phishing attempts brilliantly disguised as valid e-mail. While there are many great reasons to register your trademark with the United States Patent & Trademark...more
Tax season ‘tis the season to be phishing, according to the IRS. The IRS has issued a warning to payroll and human resources professionals about a “surge” in phishing emails seen this year. One of the preferred tactics of...more
You may think there is no value in chasing domain name squatters because customers find your website through search engines, but consider squatters as internal and external security risks. A constantly evolving threat, there...more