SPOKANE-- The Spokane Police Department Targeted Crimes Unit arrested one person connected to a Nigerian Fraud Scam.
Officials arrested Karen W Jones for 1st degree Theft for her involvement with a Nigerian Fraud Scam.
On Wednesday, Targeted Crimes Detectives received information that Karen Jones had received 24 Hewlett-Packard computers fraudulently obtained by a forged Spokane School District 81 purchasing order and then re-shipping these stolen computers to Nigeria and Ghana.
In total the value of the stolen computers was almost $14, 000 dollars. Officials say this type of scam is common. They say people befriended on the internet and then are told to receive items in the mail and then re-ship those items overseas.
Property Crimes Detective Jeff Harvey had previously contacted Jones in May of this year because of her involvement in selling a handgun and shipping the proceeds from the sale to a bogus overseas account. After being warned that this type of activity is connected to illegal activity, Jones continued to be a willing participant and was subsequently arrested by detectives for her involvement in the latest investigation.
The Spokane Police Department recommends that if you are receiving any types of goods and asked to ship them overseas by someone that has befriended you via the internet to always be cautious and report this type of activity. It is also recommended that the public become even more cautious of any types of private information that could be scanned or pushed out on the internet as thieves target this information for fraudulent activity.
