Cameroonian scammer arrested in the USA

A Cameroonian man is accused of moving money overseas in a scam that promised victims puppies, fake identification documents and other items that never arrived. Alvin Mbenyenlla is currently in the Mecklenburg County Jail. He's charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, according to court records.

Documents filed along with federal charges last week indicate Mbenyenlla acted as a money mule with unidentified conspirators based in Cameroon. Court records said the scheme involved conspirators advertising to sell products on the internet. Investigators said victims who responded to internet pet ads, for example, would wire funds then never receive the pets.

The feds said Mbenyenlla used aliases to pick up at least $500,000 in wired funds from investors from 2014 until now. Investigators claim he admitted over Facebook messages that he usually kept 20 to 30 percent of the money.

"It's handing them cash, it's not retrievable, it's not refundable, it's gone and they have got you," Tom Bartholomy with the Better Business Bureau said.

Bartholomy said scams involving puppies are not uncommon and can ramp up around Christmas. He said prospective buyers should ask questions about breeders and registration with the American Kennel Club