A Walmart delivery driver in Peoria, Arizona, got suspicious after finding dozens of packages piled up on a single porch. Between 30 and 50 boxes had been delivered to the property over just a few days, and the names on them were all different. The driver contacted police on Aug. 22, setting off an investigation that uncovered an alleged $1.4 million fraud scheme.
The Peoria Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Walmart Loss Prevention spent two months investigating the operation. Authorities say the group placed thousands of orders through Walmart.com using stolen payment details and compromised customer accounts.
The investigation ended with six people facing felony charges. Investigators recovered approximately $25,000 in merchandise and seized $35,000 in cash and $45,000 in gold bars, according to Peoria police.
Investigators believe at least nine people were involved
According to Wealth of Geeks, the suspects placed about 15,500 orders using stolen credit and debit card information. They allegedly changed delivery addresses so the purchases would go to properties controlled by the group rather than the people whose accounts or cards had been compromised.
Investigators linked 11,364 orders, worth more than $768,000, to six drop houses in Peoria, Mesa, Glendale, and Avondale. The haul was not what many would expect from a major fraud operation. Police photos showed everyday items, including shampoo, skin lotion, Fixodent denture adhesive, and bags of M&M candy.
Online orders have drawn suspicion in other cases too, including a shopper who said an Amazon order of hers arrived with items she never purchased. She acknowledged her theory of a scheme behind it was unconfirmed.
Instead of targeting only expensive electronics or designer goods, the suspects allegedly ordered large quantities of ordinary household products. The deliveries were collected at the homes before being loaded into a van and a U-Haul trailer, according to investigators. The merchandise then allegedly passed through two local boba tea shops before being taken to California for overseas shipment in cargo containers.
Police identified 30-year-old Hoài Nguyen Nguyen as the alleged organizer. Investigators say he recruited at least nine people to help receive deliveries and move the goods, paying them a percentage of the value of the shipments.
Nguyen denied being behind the operation when questioned, reportedly telling investigators he worked for the shipping business but did not own it. Authorities carried out early-morning raids across the Phoenix area with help from several SWAT teams. Ten people were detained, and six were booked into Maricopa County Jail.
Investigators are still tallying the losses
The accused face charges including fraud, identity theft, computer tampering, and trafficking in stolen property. They are being held on $500,000 cash-only bonds. Investigators are still working to establish the full financial impact, including losses tied to compromised accounts and disputed transactions.
Online fraud has turned up in other forms too, including a Texas man who said he learned a TikTok rental listing was fraudulent after contacting the property manager. In that case, the company said it never advertised the home on TikTok.
The investigation began with a delivery driver noticing something unusual at one home. Shoppers who spot unauthorized purchases on their accounts are generally advised to contact the retailer and their bank promptly, change compromised passwords, and enable multi-factor authentication where available.
Published: Oct 25, 2026 12:15 pm