TAMPA, Fla. — A woman in Tampa used dozens of Amazon accounts and thousands of returns to get more than $100,000, the sheriff's office said on Tuesday.
According to a press release, Hoai Timba, 32, is charged with second-degree grand theft. The sheriff's office says Timba admitted to the crime.
Timba is accused of reusing prepaid shipping labels generated for canceled orders and applying them on other returns. Authorities say it made it seem as if she paid for her own shipping costs on the returns when she didn't.
Authorities say she operated the scam from March 2015 until August 2020.
The sheriff's office says Timba used 31 Amazon accounts to make 42,000 individual returns, which resulted in more than $100,000 reimbursed to her.
Authorities say all 31 accounts were linked to Timba's name and Tampa address.
"This woman took advantage of a loophole she discovered in the return process," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "Through investigative means, our Economic Crimes detectives were able to quickly locate and apprehend the suspect. She was arrested without incident."
