Woman charged in Valley Stream credit card scheme

Employed as a jewelry consultant at Zales in the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, police said Stephanie Flexer accessed customer records, faked return transactions - and sent the refunds to her own credit card.

The total take? About $51,000, Nassau County police said.

But the 5 1/2-month scheme was uncovered in January, police said.

Flexer, 34, of 89-35 155th Ave., Howard Beach, was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree falsifying of business records and second-degree grand larceny, police said. She was scheduled for arraignment Friday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Police said the fraudulent transactions were between July 24 and Jan. 6. Flexer had access to "all customer records," police said. She used those records to show fraudulent return transactions, then applied the refunds to her own MasterCard, police said.