LYNNWOOD – Police have arrested five Edmonds Community College students who allegedly were paying for school by selling stolen goods on eBay.
The five are suspected of selling thousands of dollars of high-end electronics through the popular online auction site, Lynnwood detective Doug Teachworth said Tuesday.
“Buyers had no idea they were purchasing stolen property,” he said. “And we won’t be asking for them to send any of it back.”
The students told police they starting selling on eBay several months ago, after answering an e-mail offer to earn money while working at home, Teachworth said. They claimed the sender told them they could make money by accepting items mailed to them and posting them for sale on the Web site, he added.
The men allegedly said they were splitting the proceeds – such as the $1,200 earned from the sale of a flat-screen computer monitor – with the sender, who is from Russia. The items were being paid for with credit card numbers stolen from victims in Japan, Teachworth said.
Lynnwood police started investigating after several businesses reported that the electronics purchased with the cards were being shipped to an address in Lynnwood.
Officials from eBay have offered to help in the investigation, but said it’s impossible to prevent stolen property from being sold through the site. It only links buyers and sellers; eBay doesn’t actually see the property, spokesman Hani Durzy said. When a problem is reported, though, “we work closely with law enforcement,” he said.
“People occasionally try to sell stolen goods on eBay; what they find is they get caught pretty quickly,” Durzy said. “EBay puts a giant spotlight on the items, and if you’re selling stolen goods, you don’t want a giant spotlight shining on them.”
Police suspect that the students knew the sales were illegal. The five, who are from China and here on student visas, allegedly were paying for rent and school with the proceeds from the scam, Teachworth said.
The U.S. Postal Service also assisted in finding the men, he said. Teachworth is still searching the men’s computers.
The five were arrested last Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree theft and possession of stolen property. They were questioned, then released, Teachworth said.
The case will be referred to the Snohomish County prosecutor’s office for a decision about charges.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@ heraldnet.com.
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