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A 22-year-old Ghanaian domicile in Spain has been arrested for allegedly scamming Amazon $370,000 by sending return packages filled with dirt.
James Gilbert Kwarteng is accused of ordering items from Amazon, taking out the original content and returning the boxes filled with dirt.
He received a refund from Amazon and sold the original item, according to El Español and El Diario de Mallorca.
The success of the alleged scam by Kwarteng, who has been released on bail, enabled him to create his own company, according to reports.
According to ktvu.com, Kwarteng would buy something like an iPhone and, once he received it, he would open it up and keep the phone.
Then he went back to Amazon and returned the item. What he sent back was an iPhone package that he filled up with dirt that weighed the same as the iPhone.
When Amazon gets returned packages, there isn't someone that actually opens it up to make sure you sent back what you were supposed to - it's just scanned, weighed, and put on the shelf. Then you rmoney is returned.
The return packages would end up sitting around in Amazon's warehouses where they aren't checked often. The scam wasn't discovered until through a random search where someone opened a box and discovered it was full of dirt.
Amazon's return policy states items shipped from the website, including Amazon Warehouse, can be returned within 30 days of receipt. Refunds are processed in two business days and customers can expect their funds show in their account in three to five business days.
