Six people in Arizona have been arrested in an alleged $1.2 million fraud scheme that used hacked Walmart customer accounts to buy goods and ship them to Vietnam.
The case started when a Walmart delivery driver told police he had dropped off 30 to 50 packages under different names at the same Peoria home in just a couple of days, reports Arizona’s Family.
Days later, a victim reported that their Walmart account had been hacked and used to buy items. The two reports kicked off a two-month investigation.
Says Peoria police officer William Kennedy,
“Without that delivery driver, I don’t know if it would have come across our radar…
Like your average shopper who gets stuff for the dogs, the kids, their house, all those types of items were coming to those houses.”
Investigators allege that the group placed about 15,500 orders on Walmart.com using hacked accounts and stolen credit and debit card numbers. They allegedly changed delivery addresses to get around fraud alerts.
Police say the goods were moved through two boba shops in Peoria and Tolleson, then driven to California and shipped to Vietnam in containers.
So far, Walmart has confirmed $57,501 in chargeback losses tied to two victims, and JPMorgan Chase has confirmed 203 customers with $8,821 in unauthorized purchases, according to police.
Officers seized $45,000 in gold bars, $35,000 in cash and $25,000 worth of Walmart merchandise.
Investigators identified 30-year-old Hoài Nguyen Nguyen as the alleged mastermind. He denied any involvement and told police he was only an employee of U.S. Cargo Shipping LLC, a company he is believed to own.
The six people arrested are Thien Tran, 42; Uy Vu Phan, 55; Minh Ngoc Nguyen, 57; Hie Xuan Le, 24; Hoài Nguyen Nguyen, 30; and Hailey Hang Nguyen, 26. They face charges including fraudulent schemes, identity theft, computer tampering and trafficking in stolen property.
A Walmart spokesperson tells MoneyWise,
“We care about our customers and we are committed to helping prevent fraud and working with law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable.”
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This post Walmart Driver’s Tip Exposes Alleged $1,200,000 Fraud Ring Shipping Goods From Arizona to Vietnam may be modified as updates unfold.
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