http://archives.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1284132
Teen charged in credit card scheme
BY BILL MASON
STAFF WRITER
October 12, 2004
An Islip Terrace teenager was arrested Friday and charged with a stolen credit card scheme that enabled him to swindle Apple Computer out of $7,500 in products, Suffolk County police said.
Justin Lefler, 18, of 280 Islip Blvd. was charged with third-degree grand larceny.
Suffolk Det. John Friberg of the Computer Crimes Section said, "Online scams are running rampant. This has happened before, but there's always a new twist."
Lefler told police the idea for the scheme came from someone he believes is from Russia, whom he met through an Internet chat room. The "Russian man" had stolen credit card numbers and furnished Lefler with the numbers and the plan in exchange for a percentage of the profits, police said.
Lefler advertised over the Internet that he had computer products for sale, and customers would send payments for the products to Lefler's personal PayPal account, police said. Lefler would then buy the products for his customers from Apple Computer and had the products sent to the customers, police said, but Lefler paid Apple Computer for the goods using the stolen card numbers.
Friberg said Lefler was arraigned Saturday in First District Court, Central Islip. Details of the arraignment were not available last night, but officials at the Suffolk County jail said he was not being held there. Neither he nor his family could be reached last night.
