From provided press release
The Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple complaints from area businesses of a scam.
A suspect will call the business and place an order for products by phone and pays with a credit
card. The transaction is initially approved, and the product is picked up from the business. Weeks
later, the credit card transactions are disputed as fraudulent, and the business has the money
removed from their accounts resulting in thousands of dollars in loss. Credit card transactions
that take place without the physical card being present (over the phone or internet) often fall back
on the business if disputed.
It is recommended that businesses be aware of this when receiving payment for large amounts of
money from someone they do not know.
Some helpful tips to protect yourself include:
-verify the customer’s name matches the credit card being used
-obtain full billing information including name, address, and phone number
-maintain store surveillance video for at least 30 days
-Confirm who is supposed to be picking up the products
-request ID when products are being picked up or write down a vehicle plate number if it’s not
done at the time of payment.
If you have any information in regard to this investigation or any others, please contact the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division at 585-786-8989