Tulsa Police investigate re-shipping scams

Tulsa Police are cracking down on an online scam that turns the victim into a criminal. It's called re-shipping. And you could get caught up in it, simply by taking the word of someone you meet

Thursday, August 26th 2004, 7:08 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Police are cracking down on an online scam that turns the victim into a criminal. It's called re-shipping. And you could get caught up in it, simply by taking the word of someone you meet in a chat room.

Detectives made two major busts just this week. It involved thousands of dollars worth of American products to sell on the black market in Nigeria. Police say the foreign crooks need a domestic address because many companies are reluctant to ship on-line purchases overseas.

The crooks meet someone on line, ask them to accept the shipment then turn around and mail it to the scammer. The items are bought with stolen credit cards. Tulsa Police Detective Scott Wanzer: "When someone knocks on your door and offers to trim your trees or roof your house you should be suspicious because you didn't seek that person out, and it in effect puts them in control of the situation. It's the same with the Internet.â€

Police say keep your eyes open and don't be too trusting. If this happens to you, send the items back to the company and refuse to accept anymore.