They are suspected of having developed an operating procedure to circumvent the security protocols of Amazon’s locker, this connected locker installed near train stations or in shopping centers.
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Five people have been indicted for fraud to the detriment of Amazon as part of the dismantling of a network which diverted packages from the company, the national gendarmerie said in a press release on Friday, November 17. They were placed under judicial supervision. The total damage is estimated at more than 470,000 euros of high value items exclusively. It was in November 2022 that an investigation was launched after numerous anomalies noted during deliveries in Val-d’Oise.
Products sold in a second-hand product store
To achieve their goal, the suspects had developed a modus operandi. Once the order was placed by a relative of one of the network heads, the criminals came to remove the contents from the locker without the computer system detecting the recovery of the package. They left an empty box in the locker and then had the order refunded by Amazon. The products were then sold to a second-hand product store.
On November 14, the L’Isle-Adam Research Brigade (Val-d’Oise) arrested six people suspected of organized gang fraud and criminal association. Eleven other suspects were interviewed freely. During the searches carried out, numerous high-tech equipment and luxury products were seized, as well as more than 8,500 euros in cash. Bank accounts were also seized.
At the end of police custody, the Pontoise public prosecutor’s office therefore indicted five people for fraud as part of an immediate appearance. They were placed under judicial supervision. Nine other suspects are the subject of a summons for subsequent trial within the framework of appearances on prior admission of guilt.