Two men caught with 800 stolen gift cards in foiled scam attempt, California cops say

Two men caught with 800 stolen gift cards at a California store are believed to have been planning to drain money from future buyers, sheriff’s officials reported.

Detectives in a newly formed organized retail theft task force held an anti-shoplifting blitz May 10 at a Moorpark store, a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office news release said.

Store security informed them of two men seen removing gift cards in bulk from displays and hiding them in a bag, deputies said.

Detectives arrested the two men, both citizens of China, and found 800 stolen gift cards from the Moorpark store and other shops, the department said.

The men face a charge of conspiracy to commit organized retail theft.

Detectives believe the stolen gift cards were intended to be used for a “card-draining” scam, the agency said.

In these scams, thieves take stolen gift cards and either record the card numbers or replace them with new bar codes. They then secretly replace the gift cards in stores for customers to purchase.

When customers activate the gift cards, scammers can access the cards online and drain the balance, detectives said.

“These types of thefts have already led to millions of dollars in losses around the nation to victims who unknowingly bought the compromised gift cards,” the department said.

The new task force consists of officers from various Ventura County law enforcement agencies who work together to combat organized retail theft rings.

Detectives ask anyone with information on such crimes to call the task force at 805-383-8703 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Moorpark is about a 50-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles.

This story was originally published May 16, 2024 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Two men caught with 800 stolen gift cards in foiled scam attempt, California cops say."