Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Foreign Fraud Gangs Are Ripping Off West Coast States
City Journal ^ | Jan 13 202 | Christopher F. Rufo

Posted on 01/13/2026 1:02:46 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

The Somali fraud scandal has captured Americans’ imaginations. The story is almost unbelievable: Somalis in Minnesota allegedly set up fraudulent housing services, meal programs, and autism-therapy offerings, which formed part of a “web” that stole “billions of dollars in taxpayer money.” Some fraudulently obtained funds, according to federal law enforcement sources, ended up in the hands of Al-Shabaab terrorists.

Meantime, on the West Coast, another pattern of fraud has taken root: foreign criminals have developed sophisticated schemes to cheat and steal from unsuspecting Americans. I spoke with a veteran blue-city police detective, who has spent two decades investigating serious crimes, in order to learn more about how these groups operate and what might be done to stop them.

We granted the source anonymity so he could speak candidly about the fraud and the politicians who have enabled it. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Christopher Rufo: We’ve seen the Somali fraud schemes in Minnesota, but in the West Coast, there seems to be another pattern: foreign fraud rings ripping off Americans. What are the most common schemes you’re seeing here?

Detective: The two most common I investigate are credit-card fraud and elder fraud. I noticed that in cases involving a high dollar amount—$1,000 or more—and that target a stranger, it’s almost always perpetrated by foreigners.

A typical organized-crime credit-card crew would be from Romania. They will come to the United States by sneaking over the Mexican border and go up and down the I-5 corridor. They steal credit cards out of gym lockers at fitness clubs.

They’re very sophisticated. They have a computer and a printer in their car. They will steal your credit card, and if your phone’s there, they will steal the SIM card. Once they get to their car, they will immediately make a fake ID...

(Excerpt) Read more at city-journal.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 01/13/2026 1:02:46 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Russians are the biggest organized crime group in the United States now, and are involved in everything from computer fraud, real estate fraud, welfare fraud, and credit card fraud across the country.

Russian organized crime is a far bigger threat to the USA than some Somalis committing childcare fraud.


2 posted on 01/13/2026 1:07:32 PM PST by Bob Wills is still the king
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

I once worked for Amex and several Banks in loss recovery

there was a ton of fraud where foreigners would open a bunch of cards and use them as normal for just over a year then they would crank them all up to the limits, write a bad check for the balance and as soon as the check posted to the account they would immediately crank them all up to their limits again then the check would bounce and the person (usually a foreign student) would vanish.


3 posted on 01/13/2026 1:17:25 PM PST by algore
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
Foreign Fraud Gangs

Otherwise known as the Hussein/Biden/Harris/Clinton/Pelousy/Newscum Regime - Crime Syndicate

4 posted on 01/13/2026 1:20:53 PM PST by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bob Wills is still the king

Somalis stole billions from various welfare programs.

The Russians are stealing millions in credit card fraud from businesses and banks.

I want them both stopped and deported.


5 posted on 01/13/2026 1:22:50 PM PST by Valpal1 (Not even the police are safe from the police!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ronaldus Magnus III

You forgot jorge busho.


6 posted on 01/13/2026 1:22:56 PM PST by LouAvul (The Old Testament is historical, but we are to only follow the New Testament. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

They are not ripping off states. They, along with the states, are ripping off the Federal government.


7 posted on 01/13/2026 1:42:57 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bob Wills is still the king

“biggest organized crime group”

The Somalis ripoff the taxpayer. These West Coast groups seem to ripoff successful civilians.

Compare that to Welfare Contractors like Deloitte IES Integrated Eligibility System that rips off welfare money before it ever gets to the “poor”.


8 posted on 01/13/2026 1:52:42 PM PST by spintreebob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

The Somalis did not do this by themselves. They were abetted by politicians and consultants who reaped their own rewards from the scams.


9 posted on 01/13/2026 2:03:09 PM PST by webheart (Notice how I said all of that without any hyphens, and only complete words? )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LouAvul

And grandpa Xiden.


10 posted on 01/13/2026 2:22:29 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: algore

You don’t often hear the word “foreigner” anymore.


11 posted on 01/13/2026 2:28:57 PM PST by subterfuge (I'm a pure-blood!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
"My name is Abdul and I want to send you five small gold bars for free if only you'd give me your debit card number for just shipping ....."
12 posted on 01/13/2026 3:42:56 PM PST by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

lol no mention of stolen cars??


13 posted on 01/13/2026 6:06:56 PM PST by rolling_stone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Somali couriers moved nearly $700 million in cash through the Minneapolis Airport over two years. Minnesota democrat politicians did not stop this.
If you tried traveling with lots of cash there is a good likelihood you would have it confiscated right there.

There are over 400 somali day care centers.
Various reporters and federal and state investigators say there are no children at these day cares....
89% of Somali’s are on welfare of some kind.
If they are not working then why would they need daycare?

At least $18 billion stolen.


14 posted on 01/14/2026 2:03:05 AM PST by minnesota_bound (Making money now. Still want much more.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bob Wills is still the king

“Russian organized crime is a far bigger threat to the USA than some Somalis committing childcare fraud.”

The Somalis are CIA assets and the fraud is a CIA operation, which in part funds people living literally on your street, who have listened inside your house, just like the old Stasi did, to keep tabs on you and make sure you will never have any big opportunity. And that network has the domestic surveillance people run their kids in the schools as kid-spies, building files on the other kids, and they will sabotage your child, if they look too poised to succeed, because they cannot have anybody honest rise high enough to see how this country’s government actually works.

Sounds crazy, but you can see video of the kid spy they had following me on the front page of my website AmericanStasi.com.

They are a menace, and far more of a direct threat than any Russian.


15 posted on 01/14/2026 3:42:53 PM PST by AnonymousConservative (DO NOT send me sensitive info, I'm under surveillance by Domestic Intel http://www.AmericanStasi.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Valpal1

It is not Somalis. The Somalis are assets of CIA, with the family lines going back to the operations in Mog. The fraud is CIA, which was taken over by something foreign, and is being run as a super-sophisticated crime organization against us.

I have seen it firsthand. It is a much bigger problem than any normie could imagine. It is getting outed by some rival clique in intel, so you will see the Somalis were outed as part of that.


16 posted on 01/14/2026 3:46:57 PM PST by AnonymousConservative (DO NOT send me sensitive info, I'm under surveillance by Domestic Intel http://www.AmericanStasi.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: AnonymousConservative

The credit card fraud on the west coast is mostly Russians and Roma.

Had my identity stole by a Russian with the same first name and every time they bust credit card skimmers in our area, it’s Roma.

I want them all kicked out of the US.


17 posted on 01/14/2026 4:38:36 PM PST by Valpal1 (Not even the police are safe from the police!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson