Lakewood police say Amir Haidi of Jackson charged the purchase of iPhones to customers and then sold the phones to keep the money for himself.
Amir Haidi LAKEWOOD -- A Lakewood store employee was charged with using customer accounts to pay for fake cell phone orders and then selling the mobile devices, police said Thursday.
Amir Haidi, 22, of Jackson, was charged with forgery and criminal computer activity in what Lakewood police said was a scheme in which he is suspected of selling more than 50 cell phones for his profit.
In a news release on their Facebook page, Lakewood police said they received complaints in January from two Lakewood businessmen who said they had been charged for seven new iPhone 6 cellphones but hadn't ordered or received them.
Both men said the charges occurred after they visited the customer service center at Diamond Wireless in Toms River, a third-party Verizon retailer, police said.
During the investigation, Lakewood Detective Michael Cavallo determined that Haidi was adding unauthorized mobile devices to the accounts of customers, keep the phones and sell them for his own profit, the release said.
 a several month investigation, a Jackson Township man has been arrested and charged in a fraudulent scheme to obtain new cell phones.
Haidi was arrested Wednesday night at the Lakewood police station and later released after posting $20,000 bail, police said.
Lakewood police said they suspect Haidi sold more than 50 other iPhones using this method. They urged customers of the store to check their bills for any unauthorized charges dating back to 2015.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.