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Recent Articles from Gina Bliss
Fraud Facts: Unemployment ripe opportunity for fraud
One of my brothers is receiving unemployment insurance payments. He was laid off from a company whose operations are dependent on large contracts: No contracts, no jobs. The company laid off hundreds of workers ...
Fraud Facts: Facebook: Friend or foe?
I started using Facebook so that I could see pictures of my nieces and nephews who live all over the country. I didn’t realize it would become so addicting, and that I would open myself up to fraud.
Fraud Facts: Corruption in Rochester? Say it ain’t so
Political corruption is very common in some countries of the world. In those places it may be difficult to transact business or even help the poor without participating in corrupt practices such as bribery.
Fraud Facts: Cyber crimes are on the rise
Do you remember the movie “Catch Me If You Can”? I loved it, probably because I’m a fraud geek. It was based on the true story of Frank W. Abagnale ...
Fraud Facts: Homebuyer credit frauds reported
One of my clients got married and purchased his first home in 2008. He claimed the credit for first-time homebuyers on his tax return.
Embezzlement in the news
News in Rochester last week included a story about an embezzlement at a small local bank. I have assumed embezzlement is very difficult at a bank. After all, when I go to the bank I see security cameras everywhere I look. Banks probably have top-notch internal controls. A successful embezzlement probably would require collusion among […]
Fraudsters messing with the IRS
A client called me and said he was excited because he received an e-mail from the IRS notifying him that he had an additional refund just waiting for him to claim. He went on to say that all he had to do was provide his bank account information and the refund would be deposited into […]
Grandma and the computer
Last December I went back to my home town to visit. I was window shopping on Main Street when an old friend from high school came up and wondered if he could talk to me about my grandmother. Dave was working for a package delivery service over the holidays and had delivered several packages with […]
Taxpayers: Beware the wrong tax preparer
My friend, George, ran into an acquaintance at a local bar. George knew the guy prepared tax returns, so he asked him about a tax notice he received. His accountant had told him he should pay it because the IRS was correct, and he had overlooked some income on his return for the year in […]
Is stealing time harder than it used to be≠
If your employer provides you with a vehicle, it’s possible they know where you are whenever you use it. A construction superintendent told me he received a call from his home office one day, wanting to know where he was. He told them he was at the job site. The office had follow-up questions and […]
Beware: Bounced checks are on the rise
Recently I met someone whose job is to collect on bad checks for a bank. If someone told you that at a party, you would probably think “ho hum.” I, on the other hand, was fascinated. I started asking questions. It turns out that business is booming in this economy. There are more bounced checks […]
The whistleblowers among us
In the fraud arena, whistleblowers are heroes. Time magazine selected three whistleblowers as its “People of the Year” in 2002. Harry Markopolos recently became famous for trying, and trying, to blow the whistle on Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Whistleblowers are crucial to the work of uncovering fraud. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ 2008 Report to […]
Case Digests
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Review of another judge’s actions: Opinion 22-153
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Charitable contributions: Opinion 22-150
- Second Circuit – Class action settlement: Moses v. The New York Times Company
- Fourth Department – Breach of contract: Hausrath Landscape Maintenance Inc. v. Caravan Facilities Management LLC
- Second Circuit – New York Child Victim’s Act: Kane v. Mount Pleasant CSD; Coe v. Eastport Union Free School
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Appointing law clerk: Opinion 22-149
- Fourth Department – Bill of particulars: Harris v. Rome Memorial Hospital, et al.
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Accusations against co-judge: Opinion 22-148
- Fourth Department – Medicaid: Washington Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Home v. NYS Dept. of Health
- Fourth Department – Criminal possession of a firearm: People v. Wilson
- Fourth Department – Promoting prostitution: People v. Watts
- Second Circuit – Class certification: Arkansas Teachers Retirement System V. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Law News
- Fourth Department affirms $400K judgment in contract dispute
- Could legislation limiting non-compete agreements kick off a new era of workplace disputes?
- Fourth Department affirms decision in NY property dispute
- Greenlight Networks selects Buffalo-based attorney as general counsel
- Barclay Damon hires attorney Matt Smith
- Rochester man sues Geneseo police, alleging false arrest, assault
- The Daily Record’s Power List for Intellectual Property 2023
- NY ethics panel says judges can join NRA
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