Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that her FORCE Team arrested two men alleged to have conducted a fraud scheme around Metro Detroit that begins with the theft of empty, unsold gift cards from retail stores. The cards are then tampered with to reveal their unique redemption numbers, recorded by the scammers, then concealed once again with an adhesive to appear as though they have not been tampered with.
It is alleged that scammers then replace the altered gift cards back at their original intended retail point of sale, and scammers use computer programs to monitor when any card is activated with a balance of funds. As soon as a shopper places a balance on the card, the scammer is able to transfer the balance into another digital account. The gift card, when given as a gift and redeemed, is already depleted. …...more
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