Local Business Stops Scam; Wants Communities Help Identifying 'Suspect'
By
KGNS News
Story Created:
Jan 1, 2013 at 11:13 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jan 1, 2013
A local business is asking for the publics help after they say a couple tried to scam them out of thousands of dollars.
Petland is well known in the Laredo area for their wide variety of pets.
But co-owner Joe Carvalho said someone tried to scam them out of nearly $3,000 in merchandise this weekend.
"Who would think that a woman who's pregnant, who's coming in with someone else, with a pet was here to perpetrate a crime of thousands of dollars."
Take a look at this woman in the photo, she presented a fraudulent check written for over $2,700 to the business.
The check and her ID had her name as Alicia Rangel, but both were invalid.
"Ultimately, when we went to make a copy of their drivers license, suddenly, the drivers license and wallet had went missing and we spent some time looking for it."
She and a man were attempting to purchase this Yorkie puppy with the check.
Not only were they trying to purchase a puppy, but they also were trying to purchase thousands of dollars in puppy supplies.
Scams like these not only hurt businesses, but also hurt all other consumers.
"Ultimately it gets charged back to all of us. Somewhere, somehow everyone pays. And especially for businesses that may not use a check guarantee, the business would totally lose that money. For a small to lose $3,000 in one day is pretty series."
Luckily, the business did not give the woman the puppy or the merchandise but she still got away with about $60 worth of goods.
If you know any information or can identify the woman in the story, you can call police or Laredo Crimestoppers.
