Hawai'i con man using Internet site
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Consumers who take advantage of the Internet to purchase items without leaving their homes or offices should beware of crooks who are ripping people off with the same ease.
CrimeStoppers
Honolulu police and the CrimeStoppers program are warning residents about a Hawai'i man who is placing items for sale on the Internet auction site eBay but is not delivering the goods. Since Oct. 1, there have been at least seven cases in which people paid for electronic equipment that was never delivered.
A bank camera took this photo of the suspect when he tried to cash a check using an alias and a fraudulent driver's license.
The man has used several names, including Peter Ransom, Law Rence and Jeremy Johnson, according to Detective Letha DeCaires of CrimeStoppers. In the seven cases, the customers — even some on the Mainland — lost about $8,000 in cash or by money order.
The man recently attempted to cash a check at a bank using an alias and a fraudulent Florida driver's license, DeCaires said. A surveillance camera took photos of the man, who was described as in his mid-20s, 5 feet 9, 175 pounds, with a medium build and light-brown to blond hair.
A recent report by the Internet Fraud Complaint Center said Hawai'i ranked second in the nation in per capita Internet fraud complaints during 2002.
DeCaires warned residents to be cautious whenever buying on the Internet.
"Does the item that they're getting, and the value that they're getting that item at, outweigh the risk, even though minimal, that they may be taking?" she said. "Everyone has to decide that for themselves."
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or Detective Randall Akau at 547-7217.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
