Suspecting a Scam, Holmdel Man Goes to Police

On May 2, a 21-year old Holmdel man came to Police Headquarters with some money orders that he received in the mail.

He told police that sometime during the first week of April, his mother forwarded him an email about a possible job opportunity with an well-known maker of energy drinks. All he had to do was wrap advertising stickers on the outside of his personal car, and serve as a sort of rolling advertisement. For this, he would receive $600 a month.

The young man began an email correspondence with a person who described himself as the company hiring manager, Steven Hernandez.

The Holmdel man sent Hernandez information about his car, and was soon approved. He was told he'd be paid $300 up front. The money would come in the form of a large check. He was given instructions to cash the check, deduct his $300, then wire the rest to Luis Albert Hernandez of the Bronx.

The man was told he'd be receiving a check in the amount of $1,770. But instead, on May 1, he received a USPS Express Mail package from a Carmel, NJ address containing nothing more than four US Postal money orders in the amount of $885.43 for a total of $3,541.72.

At this point the Holmdel resident grew suspicious and took the checks to the Police Dept. Detective Eric Hernando took the fraudulent money orders and emails and has reported the scheme to the US Postal Service. The incident remains under investigation.