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Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office responded Friday to Ashley Furniture, 2400 S. U.S. Route 68, Bellefontaine, to investigate a fraudulent transaction that occurred during November.
Deputies met with a manager, who reported that the suspect, who identified herself as “Jennifer Francis” had entered the store Nov. 6 and applied for credit. After being granted the credit, she charged approximately $6,000 worth of furniture, including several beds, a sofa, love seat and dresser, and asked that it be delivered to an address in Columbus, when she said she lived in Blacklick.
The manager said the business at first received payment in full from “Wells Fargo” for the transaction, but later were informed that the credit application was fraudulent.
In addition, the manager reported that Ashley Furniture stores in Marion and Mansfield also recently had been targeted in a similar scheme and had been defrauded between $10,000 to $20,000 as a result. She said the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Mansfield City Police Department were investigating those incidents.
When the furniture was delivered to the Columbus address Dec. 1, the employees were surprised that the delivery address was a commercial building and not a residence. Deputies said when searching the address online, it came back to a “Beep Computer Clinic.”
The female who had been in the store was not present when the furniture was delivered. Instead, delivery employees were met by an unknown man.
Deputies were able to view video surveillance of the suspect entering the store Nov. 6. Further investigation is pending.
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