In a shocking revelation, a prominent Virginia dermatologist, Dr. Farhaad Riyaz, has recently pleaded guilty to an elaborate Amazon return fraud scheme that spanned over three years.
The deceptive operation involved ordering high-value items only to return significantly cheaper alternatives, accumulating goods worth over $300,000. Note that this isn’t the first time Amazon has dealt with refund fraud, either
Dr. Riyaz, who had earned a spot on Washingtonian’s Top Doctors list for 2019, exploited Amazon’s return system by claiming items arrived late or did not match their descriptions. His fraudulent activities took place from March 2017 to June 2020. And his mantra was “go big or go home.”
The dermatologist’s purchases included a Sony 4K laser home theater video projector valued at $37,097.88, which he claimed arrived late. However, he returned a vastly cheaper Sony projector worth around $2,000. Additionally, he exploited the return policy on deluxe Toto toilets with integrated bidet seats, purchasing them for $17,848.32 and requesting refunds by alleging defects or incomplete deliveries.
Dr. Riyaz extended his fraudulent activities to include high-end musical instruments, such as an American-made Fender Rarities Flame Maple Top Stratocaster purchased for $2,649.99. He returned a much cheaper Indonesian-made Strat sold under Fender’s budget Squier label, which retails for a fraction of the original purchase price. The scheme also involved other premium Fender, Gibson, and Martin electrical and acoustic guitars.
Investigators uncovered the deceitful dermatologist’s stash of fraudulently obtained goods, including the toilets and video projector, at his residence in McLean. Amazon’s fraud detection unit played a crucial role in aiding the investigation, leading to the doctor’s guilty plea.
Dr. Riyaz pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and faces the possibility of up to 20 years in federal prison, although such a sentence is considered unusual. As part of the plea agreement, he will pay Amazon $312,964.38 in restitution and forfeit all fraudulently obtained goods. The sentencing is scheduled for March 22, marking the culmination of a bizarre case that underscores the need for vigilance in online retail fraud prevention.
To our friends at TodayPay, we bet Amazon wishes they would’ve had your fraud protection measures in place before this happened!
Yours Truly,
The Instant Refund Expert™
The Refunds Blog 