Grandmother Targeted By Fraud Ring

...Stolen Credit Card Scam Lured Woman Through Internet

A great-grandmother turned to the Internet for friendship and a few months later, Lorain police rushed into her house.

Ethel Wosniak, 69, found out she'd been used in an international fraud ring, reported NewsChannel5's Ted Hart.

"To be honest, I was quite lonely and had been for quite a few years. He seemed like a decent guy," said Wosniak.

"Frank" found Wosniak in a religious-based chat room. Police believe the people running the fraud ring were looking for specific types of targets in the chat room.

"These guys probably have their chat rooms staked out looking for single females that are trustworthy," said Jim Rohner, of the Lorain police.

Frank said he was from the Republic of Ghana and asked Wosniak to help ship boxes of merchandise from the United States to Africa for his church.

Wosniak agreed to do this and the boxes started arriving, containing items such as car stereos, DVD players, clothes, and shoes. She relabeled them and sent them on.

It wasn't until Lorain police showed up last week that Wosniak found out the merchandise had been purchased with stolen credit cards, and that she was a pawn in an international theft ring.

"I thought I was helping him. Maybe I'm too trustworthy, I trust people," said Wosniak.

This type of fraud is a growing problem, involving millions of dollars.

The shipping industry alone took a $2 million loss last year because the shipping of the merchandise is also paid for with stolen credit cards.

Wosniak could be charged with receiving stolen property, but she clearly was unaware of what she was doing and had no criminal intent. Rohner says it's unlikely that the prosecutor will pursue the charges.