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Date Posted: 00:10:42 02/20/04 Fri
Author: Reader
Subject: Internet fraud scheme reported in Carmel

Internet fraud scheme reported in Carmel




By: Eric Gross 02/19/2004




CARMEL - "If it's too good to be true, it probably is," warned Putnam Sheriff Donald Smith, after a local resident came close to losing thousands of dollars in a fraudulent scheme involving Internet sales, wiring of funds and check forgery.

The plot was reported last Friday when the Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation received a call from the Putnam Federal Credit Union in Carmel advising that a customer was attempting to cash a bogus $10,000 cashier's check drawn on the Bank of America.

Investigator Anthony Nappi responded and after interviewing the customer, he determined the man was unaware that the check had been forged.

The victim told authorities that he had received the check in connection with an Internet sale. He explained that an advertisement was placed on the World Wide Web on a site called Bargain News where he offered to sell his 2003 Kawasaki ATV for $4,500.

Sheriff Smith said the man received an e-mail from a person identifying himself as the director of Popline Investments of Holland. The e-mail advised the Putnam seller that the company was acting on behalf of a third party buyer identified as Jason Brian who wished to purchase the equipment.

The message stated that the company would pay for the vehicle with a cashier's check to be sent via Federal Express, overnight mail. The message informed the victim that the check would be in the amount of $10,000 which represented a refunded payment from an earlier order that had been cancelled.

The message went on to instruct the local man to deposit the check in his account and then to wire $5,500 - the difference between the check amount and the vehicle price - back to an overseas account. After the wired funds were received, the e-mail stated, the buyer would communicate with the seller to make arrangements for delivery of the ATV.

Sheriff Smith said as promised the $10,000 check arrived at the seller's home via overnight courier.

Chief Criminal Investigator A. Gerald Schramek described the fraudulent check as being of high quality. "But for the sharp eye of the teller, the check would have been deposited and it would have taken weeks for the forgery to be detected at the clearing bank. By that time, the intended victim would have wired his hard earned money to the scam artists and the crime would have been completed," he said.

Investigators have determined that the bogus e-mail message came through an overseas Internet provider that originated in Nigeria. The Secret Service was contacted and both federal and local law enforcement agencies are investigating.

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