Gift card scam suspects from Southern California arrested in Santa Clara County
Two people from Southern California allegedly running a scam involving tampered retail gift cards were arrested in Santa Clara County last weekend, police said Wednesday.
Campbell police said in a community alert that officers responded on August 17 to a report of a man placing tampered gift cards on a store stand for customers to purchase. The man was identified as 45-year-old Jian Chen of Rosemead, Los Angeles County.
A woman waited in the car as Chen exchanged the altered gift cards, police said. She was identified as Bifen Xie, 32, of Riverside, Riverside County.
Police said Chen and Xie had stolen empty gift cards to retrieve the card numbers and pin information before replacing them inside stores. A search of their vehicle led to the discovery of over 500 gift cards to various retailers such as Home Depot, Apple, and Amazon throughout their car, according to police.
When money is loaded onto a tampered gift card, scammers can drain the card's balance before the gift card recipient is able to use it. police said.
Chen and Xie were arrested and booked at Santa Clara County Jail in San Jose on charges of obtaining money under false pretenses and conspiracy. Police said that during the investigation, Chen also matched a suspect description for the same crime in the City of Santa Clara.
In May, a regional retail theft task force arrested two suspected Chinese nationals in Ventura County for allegedly carrying out a similar gift card scam.
Campbell police offered the following tips for people to protect themselves from falling victim to these scams.
- 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