Two Men in Canton Township Caught Swindling $50K from Amazon
Two clever blokes from Canton Township in Michigan are in a bit of a bind after they were caught running a scam on good old Amazon, effectively nicking a cool $50K from the retail giant. Officials said the conmen ordered products from Amazon and cleverly requested a refund, while they’d still hold onto the original items. Now that’s some nerve!
Ali F. Habash, 28, and his mate Ahmed Al-Bahia, 22, are up for a messy legal fight as they face charges for their cunning little ruse. Habash has been slapped with one count of uttering and publishing, one count of forgery, and one count of continuing a criminal enterprise, which could lead up to a whopping 20-year felony. Al-Bahia, on the other hand, faces one count of false pretenses. These dudes are expected in court soon, and it’s sure going to be one heck of a hoot!
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office spilled the beans on how the two men carried out their scam. Habash used an impressive 32 different accounts over a three-year period to exactly order high-value items like Apple laptops and gold coins.
But it gets better: After receiving the orders, Habash would then request refunds with the intentions of re-selling the items for profit. The ol’ switcheroo trick, I suppose.
Instead of sending back the purchased item, Habash would either send completely different items of lesser value or in some instances, return nothing at all, all while holding onto the original products ordered from Amazon. Now that’s a racket if I’ve ever seen one!
As if that wasn’t enough, Habash and Al-Bahia cooked up another scheme together back in 2021, leaving Amazon several thousands in the hole, according to the whip-smart investigators from the Attorney General’s FORCE Team.
“Fiddling with refund processes with the aim of making a quick buck off re-selling items is just as much a crime as simple shoplifting,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Sounds like a bad day for the Canton Township duo, eh?
Amazon’s investigators and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office bounced heads on this case to ensure that justice prevails in this matter. “When guys get sneaky and think they can dodge our checks, we’re onto them, working side by side with law enforcers to guarantee they face the music,” voiced Kathy Sheehan, Amazon’s VP of Business Conduct & Ethics. Strong words that underline the consequences of engaging in fraudulent schemes.
