Towanda Woman Tricked Into Helping an Internet Scam

Pennsylvania State Police say a Towanda woman was duped into participating in an internet scam by a man she met online.

Authorities in Bradford County say they were contacted by the Racine, Wisconsin Police to assist in an investigation of a case where a 49 year old woman agreed to sell an Apple iPod Touch to a buyer on eBay for $400.

The Wisconsin woman shipped the item to Towanda and discovered the supposed buyer’s PayPal account was fake.

Pennsylvania State Police say the Towanda woman had agreed to receive packages for the man and ship them to an address in Nigeria.

Investigators say the Pennsylvania woman was not aware that a crime was being committed by the man she met online.  She is not being charged.

Troopers say the case is an example of a common internet scam being committed all over the United States.  The criminals often use stolen credit cards to buy things on the internet then ask an unsuspecting person they meet online to re-ship merchandise, often overseas where it is hard, if not impossible to trace.

Victims can report crimes to their local law enforcement agency or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.