International Fraud Rings Recruiting Teens For Dirty Work: Police

NASHVILLE, TN -- Federal, state and local law enforcement are teaming up to combat the increasing number of international fraud rings using encoded cards to drain bank accounts, but those cons are increasingly recruiting teenagers to do their dirty work, police say.

Matthew Preston, assistant to the Secret Service's special agent in charge, told WKRN the groups are recruiting youngsters both in the U.S. and from their home countries, targeting American teens who want to make a quick buck and ones from their homeland in tough situations attracted by the "allure" of the United States.

Preston said the groups running the fraud scam in Tennessee originate from Venezuela, Cuba, Armenia, Romania and Brazil.

In addition to using gofers, which helps create distance between the crime itself and the operational leaders of the syndicate, the groups are also jumping between jurisdictions, which is why the Secret Service, FBI, Homeland Security and the postal service teamed up with local law enforcement, putting everybody on the same page.

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