A Boston woman will spend 90 days in prison after she admitted to a scheme to exchange merchandise purchased at Gucci and other high-end stores for similar-looking, but lower-cost items from retailers like TJ Maxx.
Tamara Khatuntseva, a 64-year-old West Roxbury resident, bought expensive jewelry, clothing and handbags from pricey stores and sold them on eBay. But Khatuntseva would simultaneously purchase similar items from other stores at more affordable prices, and then return them to the high-end retailers for full refunds, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’s office said.
In one instance, according to Rollins, Khatuntseva bought a $399 pink Gucci scarf and posted it for sale on her eBay page. Days later, she returned a different, less expensive scarf — which now bore the same barcode — to the store for a refund.
Prosecutors said she did this with jewelry, clothing, purses, handbags, luggage and shoes between December 2018 and August 2020.
The investigation found Khatuntseva used multiple eBay accounts, opened credit cards under her daughter’s name and bought the same security tags used by Gucci to disguise the returned cheaper merchandise as a legitimate purchase from the pricey fashion store.
The scheme cost retailers up to $150,000 and netted Khatuntseva hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits, officials said.
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Can't believe she got away with this! How could she make so many returns without getting noticed as a serial returner? Did Gucci not look at the junk she was returning? Not only that but crime pays for her. 90 days in prison and has to pay pennies on the dollar what she made of her scam.
Tamara Khatuntseva, a 64-year-old West Roxbury resident, bought expensive jewelry, clothing and handbags from pricey stores and sold them on eBay. But Khatuntseva would simultaneously purchase similar items from other stores at more affordable prices, and then return them to the high-end retailers for full refunds, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’s office said.
In one instance, according to Rollins, Khatuntseva bought a $399 pink Gucci scarf and posted it for sale on her eBay page. Days later, she returned a different, less expensive scarf — which now bore the same barcode — to the store for a refund.
Prosecutors said she did this with jewelry, clothing, purses, handbags, luggage and shoes between December 2018 and August 2020.
The investigation found Khatuntseva used multiple eBay accounts, opened credit cards under her daughter’s name and bought the same security tags used by Gucci to disguise the returned cheaper merchandise as a legitimate purchase from the pricey fashion store.
The scheme cost retailers up to $150,000 and netted Khatuntseva hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits, officials said.
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Boston woman who exchanged Gucci merchandise for TJ Maxx items in fraud scheme gets prison time
The woman bought pricey items and sold them on eBay. She also returned similar-looking, less expensive items for refunds.
Can't believe she got away with this! How could she make so many returns without getting noticed as a serial returner? Did Gucci not look at the junk she was returning? Not only that but crime pays for her. 90 days in prison and has to pay pennies on the dollar what she made of her scam.
