Local Fraud Case Investigation Leads to Overseas Origin

TYLER — A local credit card fraud case has led Tyler police investigators to an international fraud scheme linked to Russia, according to authorities. Officials say a victim living in Tyler reported to police that his credit card had been compromised for $5,260 worth of fraudulent charges that he had not made. Investigators followed up and learned that some of the items that were charged were actually shipped to a local address in Tyler, according to police.

Investigators made contact with the homeowner at the address where the items were shipped in South Tyler. The homeowner told police that he was looking for work and found a website looking for someone as a �re-packager� for up to $2000 per month. He said shipping boxes would be delivered to his address and all he would do was put a new label on the shipping box and send it on its way without knowing what was contained in the box. Shipping labels were sent to him to be placed on the boxes and then re-shipped to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Investigators located numerous shipping boxes at his address and took custody of them. Upon opening the boxes investigators discovered many expensive purses, tools, custom boots, electronic items, etc., according to authorities. The items that were recovered were valued at over $10,000. Investigators found shipping documents that indicated that the items were purchased online with stolen credit card numbers from all over the United States.

Investigators in Michigan said the residents the items were being shipped to were of Russian descent. They told police that they were selling these items on the Internet once they received them from the re-packager and then sending a cut of the money to a location in Russia. Federal law enforcement agents have been contacted in reference to this investigation.