Woman charged with online theft

By ANITA KUMAR

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 7, 2000

LARGO -- The owner of an Oldsmar computer company was charged this week with stealing money from customers who bid for computers on online auction sites but never received them.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office believes Gail Grierson of Creative PC in Oldsmar stole $27,000 from at least 25 people throughout the world, including customers in Argentina, Canada and the United States, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Greg Tita said.

Sheriff's detectives continue to investigate, and other charges may be filed, Tita said.

Grierson, 45, of 2311 Old Village Way in Oldsmar was arrested at her home Thursday and charged with one count of grand theft for allegedly taking about $11,000 from nine victims.

"I'm very glad," said Stanley Anderson, a customer who lost $1,300 in October 1999. "My confidence in the Police Department has been restored."

Customers had complained for months to area law enforcement agencies about Creative PC and Cybercom Industries, a Pinellas Park business that told customers it was completing Creative PC's computer orders. But the customers say no action was taken until the Times published an article about the businesses in July.

"I was feeling pretty hopeless," said Anderson, an actor outside Los Angeles who does voice-over work. "I was amazed there was no action from the Police Department."

Internet auctions, which first appeared in 1995, now account for almost nine of every 10 fraud complaints made to Internet Fraud Watch, an online reporting system created by the National Consumers League.

The Federal Trade Commission reported more than 10,000 auction complaints in 1999, up from just 100 complaints two years before. Most gripes stem from products that never arrive, come damaged or are worth far less than promised.

Prompted by similar complaints, law enforcement agencies are suggesting consumers be aware of costly shipping and handing fees, check comments made on sites by previous buyers and make sure to get the seller's identifying information.

Creative PC customers say they encountered the company after bidding on Internet sites such as DellAuction, auctions.msn.com and others.

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