Police Crack Down on Gift Card Scam: Southern California Suspects Arrested in Santa Clara County
Two individuals from Southern California were arrested in Santa Clara County last weekend for allegedly running a scam involving tampered retail gift cards, according to police reports released Wednesday.
On August 17, Campbell police received a tip about a man who was reportedly placing tampered gift cards on a store display for unsuspecting customers to buy.
The man was identified as 45-year-old Jian Chen from Rosemead, Los Angeles County. A woman who was waiting in a car while Chen was involved in the scam was identified as 32-year-old Bifen Xie from Riverside, Riverside County.
Chen and Xie were involved in a scheme where they would steal unused gift cards, obtain the card numbers and PINs, and then replace the cards on store shelves. When customers bought these altered cards and loaded money onto them, Chen and Xie could quickly drain the funds before the cardholders could use them.
During a search of their vehicle, authorities found over 500 gift cards from various retailers, including Home Depot, Apple, and Amazon. This extensive collection of gift cards raised red flags about their involvement in the scam.
Chen and Xie have been charged with obtaining money under pretenses and conspiracy. Additionally, Chen was found to match a description of a suspect for a similar crime that occurred in the City of Santa Clara.
This case follows a similar scam uncovered in May, where a regional retail theft task force arrested two suspected Chinese nationals in Ventura County for committing a comparable gift card fraud.
To protect yourself from such scams, Campbell police have provided the following advice:
- Buy gift cards online to limit the possibility of physical alteration
- Inspect gift cards before purchasing them
- Do not purchase any cards that show signs of tampering
- Keep the receipt with the gift card: in some cases of gift card scams, retailers may be able to offer your money back
- Use gift cards as soon as you can to limit the opportunity for scammers to drain the card’s balance