Looking for a job online? It could be a scam!

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Two couples face fraud charges in Internet scam
Two Westland couples are facing fraud charges over an Internet scam involving stolen credit cards and packages sent to their homes for re-shipping.

And it appears there that despite their similarities, there is no connection between the two scams.

“We thought there was a potential tie-in, so I assigned both cases to the same detective. No definite tie-in could be established,” said Westland Police Lt. Michael Harhold. “We get a lot of this (type of scam) over time but it's not common for it to be that close together.”

In the first case, a Westland man came to the police department on May 29 to report someone had tried to purchase nearly $1,400 in merchandise from a website, newegg.com, using his debit/credit card without authorization. He said his wife noticed the pending transaction while checking their account online.

The officer was able to get more information from the website than the homeowner had obtained. Two Apple iPads had been ordered and were to be delivered to a home in the 31000 block of Parkwood.

The order was canceled and police obtained a search warrant for the home on Parkwood. When the man who responded to their knock failed to open the door, officers forced entry into the home.

A woman who lives at the home told police that she found an online job working for an unknown Indian male who ships packages to her. She then ships the packages on to other locations.

Officers seized an unopened FedEx package from Hong Kong with the Parkwood address but listing the name of none of the residents. Inside the package, police found an Apple iPad. The woman told police she was awaiting an invoice and shipping labels from the unknown man before forwarding the package.

While looking online for a job, the woman said she came across this man who would wire her money for accepting and forwarding the packages. The husband also accepted the packages. The couple said they made $200-$300 weekly.

Additionally, the woman told police that the unknown man had sent her a credit card in her name which she used to purchase a laptop computer, an Xbox and two iPads, which she sold. She said she also used the credit card to pay some personal bills before destroying it.

Emma Murphy, 36, and Mark Murphy, 43, are both facing fraud charges. Mark Murphy was also cited for marijuana possession and held on two warrants.

The second case unfolded in a similar fashion June 11 as a Westland couple reported discovering $550 in two separate charges on their bank account which hadn't been authorized. The purchases of two Intel computer CPUs were made from newegg.com.

The orders were shipped to an apartment at the Landings, 6700 Lakeview, under the name of a person living there.

Officers subsequently executed a search warrant at the apartment which was occupied by a couple, along with their 16-month-old daughter.

The couple told police that they had accepted packages shipped under different names from various companies and forwarded the package. Both said they had gotten involved while looking online for jobs.

Among newly delivered packages, the officers found a camera lens, a motorcycle helmet and an Apple modem, all in packages with different names. Many items were shipped to Russia.

Additionally, the officers confiscated a box containing 18 different credit cards which had 16 different names — none being the apartment residents.

Although the couple reported being unemployed, officers noted they had new items including a plasma television, XBox, iPhones and laptop computer.

The man told police they had been reshipping packages for about a month and had not yet been paid.

Joelle Bryson, 25, and Everett Wilson, 26, are charged with fraud and receiving/concealing stolen property. Wilson also was charged with marijuana possession, Bryson with loitering where drugs are present. Bryson wasn't taken into custody so she could care for her young child.

“People shouldn't fall for this type of scam, these are not legitimate jobs,” said Harhold. “Sometimes people who are unsophisticated may fall for it. They may be pressed for money. Others know it's a crime.”

Whole thing here: www.hometownlife.com/article/20120628/NEWS24/206280494

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Another:

The Daily Herald

Locals caught up in “secret shopper” scam

Posted: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 8:41 am

Police are warning Roanoke Rapids residents to beware of an email scam that could stick victims with worthless checks.

Capt. Andy Jackson, head of investigations for the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, said two city residents have been victimized by the “secret shopper” scam, but fortunately no one has lost any money.

Jackson said the people behind the scam solicit through email, or sometimes by phone, asking the victim to participate in a secret shopper’s service, where shoppers patronize local businesses, then fill out forms they send to the secret shopping agency, which then pays the secret shopper.

In a legitimate operation, that paycheck goes to the secret shopper and that’s the end of the transaction. In the scam, there’s another important step.

“They’re going to send you a check or some checks,” Jackson said. “When they forward the checks to you, they want you to cash those checks and then send them a fee.”

As an example, Jackson said, a secret shopper being victimized by the scam could receive a $1,000 check, then be asked to wire a $400 fee to the agency through Western Union or some other means. That leaves the victim, in theory, with $600 for his or her services.

Unfortunately, the original check is counterfeit, and sometimes before a bank catches on, the victim is stuck without any money and has paid the scammer.

Jackson said twice recently, city residents have received counterfeit checks connected to this type of scam. Fortunately, neither lost money because the banks discovered the fraud before cashing the checks. Those victims then reported the scam to the police.

City residents are warned to avoid any secret shopping service that asks for any money connected with the service.

“Legitimate secret shopper organizations pay you to secret shop,” Jackson said. “They owe you. You don’t owe them anything. If anyone asks for a processing fee or certification fee to become a secret shopper, remember, you don’t pay to do work, you get paid.”

Jackson said also to be wary of any agency asking for a wire-based transaction. If you suspect anything, try to slow down any transactions.

“We don’t want people putting these checks into their checking account,” Jackson said. “Then they send money and find out they don’t have any money.”

City residents who may have been victimized by this scam may call 252-533-2810 or Halifax County Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

www.rrdailyherald.com/news/locals-caught-up-in-secret-shopper-scam/article_340eb682-bf8c-11e1-8465-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=print