Donghui Liao, Access Device Fraud, Florida 2023

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Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Gift Card Scam in Ocala, Florida

Ocala, Florida – In a shocking case of access device fraud, Donghui Liao, a 32-year-old Chinese national, has pleaded guilty to possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, specifically gift cards. Liao faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, a large-scale retail store has been the victim of an ongoing organized gift card fraud scheme. The scheme involved individuals stealing gift cards from the store, obtaining the account information from the back of the cards, resealing the cards in their original packaging, and placing the gift cards back onto the shelves of a different store location for customers to purchase.

Once a customer purchased the gift card and loaded a monetary amount onto it, the fraudsters had access to the funds without the customer’s knowledge. This brazen scam led to the theft of over $1.886 million in gift cards, which could have been purchased and activated by customers.

On October 17, 2023, an officer with the Ocala Police Department observed Liao retrieving numerous gift cards from a black shoulder bag he was wearing and placing those gift cards on the retailer’s gift card display. Liao was also observed taking gift cards off the shelves and concealing them inside his bag before leaving the store.

Seventy-one of the gift cards that Liao had placed on the shelves showed signs of alteration and forgery. A search of Liao’s vehicle revealed 6,032 additional stolen gift cards. The combined value of the gift cards in Liao’s vehicle, if purchased and activated by customers, would have been $1.886 million. Store surveillance identified Liao performing this same scheme on multiple occasions at different stores in Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida.

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

Liao’s guilty plea brings an end to the scheme, but the full extent of the damage remains to be seen. The Ocala Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations are working to identify and bring to justice those involved in the scheme.

The case serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting ourselves from such scams. Always be cautious when purchasing gift cards and ensure that you are buying them from authorized retailers.