Battle Creek woman charged in computer scam that netted millions

GRAND RAPIDS – A Battle Creek women has been charged in connection with what federal prosecutors said was a lucrative nationwide computer scam that netted about $3.5 million.

Lavonne Kemp, 67, was charged in federal court for participating in a conspiracy to commit fraud using the mail, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten said in a release Friday.

“These allegations are extremely concerning involving an alleged scheme to prey upon unsuspecting victims,” Totten said. “I implore the public to remain vigilant, wary, cautious, and to always verify suspicious claims or claims that seem ‘too good to be true’ to help protect yourself from falling victim to potential scams or fraud.”

The scheme that netted about $3.5 million between January of 2021 and September of last year focused on computer users across the U.S., known as a “mistaken refund” scam, Totten’s office said in a release.

The scam worked like this, according to prosecutors: People received email messages falsely claiming that a withdrawal had been made from their bank account to allegedly pay for the installation of computer security software. The messages invited anyone disagreeing with the charge to call a “customer service” number. The number led to a person who agreed to immediately reverse the “charge” but during the process the person told the caller he had mistakenly deposited thousands of dollars into the victim’s account because of a keystroke error. The caller was then convinced to resolve the “error” by mailing cash to Kemp’s address in Battle Creek.

Kemp is charged with mail fraud conspiracy and faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of twice the gross gain or loss caused by the fraud, three years of supervised release following prison, and forfeiture of property. No one else has been charged in connection with the case.

“Our agents remain committed to investigating allegations of fraud wherever they may be,” said Homeland Security Investigations Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie Salazar. “Working with our local partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we can help keep hard-working Americans safe from schemes and hold those behind them to account for their actions.”

The Department of Homeland Security and Battle Creek police are investigating the case.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek woman charged in computer scam that netted millions