Hongying Wang, Counterfeit Gift Card Trafficking, Illinois 2023

Counterfeit Gift Card Trafficking Scheme Exposed in Illinois

In a shocking case of cybercrime, two Chinese nationals have been sentenced for their involvement in a gift card scheme directed at Target shoppers across the Midwest.

Hongying Wang, 53, and Guangwei Gao, 38, pleaded guilty to one felony count of using and trafficking in a counterfeit access device. The pair have been incarcerated since Jan. 21, 2023, and so have served their full prison time.

The scheme, which had the potential to steal money from anyone, involved the defendants placing fake gift cards onto sales racks with the intention of stealing the loaded funds once purchased by patrons.

According to court documents, Wang, Gao, or others working with them retained the access numbers to 6,100 gift cards with intent to place the altered gift cards on the sales racks at Target. Once a gift card was loaded with funds by an unsuspecting patron, the fraudsters would have the codes needed to steal the funds.

In January 2023, a Target security officer observed Wang and Gao placing gift cards onto the racks in the Belleville store for customers to purchase. Upon further review, the gift cards were altered with the codes scratched off and covered by stickers to appear untouched.

The investigation, which took a coordinated effort, involved Homeland Security Investigations and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter T. Reed prosecuted the case. The case affected multiple Target locations, including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Norman, Oklahoma; Edmond, Oklahoma; Liberty, Missouri; Independence, Missouri; St. Peters, Missouri; Town and Country, Missouri; and Brentwood, Missouri.

The Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly stated, “The gift card scheme concocted by these two defendants had the potential to steal money from anyone,” ISP special agents will thoroughly investigate cases to hold people accountable and protect the public.

U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said, “The defendants placed fake gift cards onto sales racks with the intention of stealing the loaded funds once purchased by patrons,” she commended the law enforcement officials contributed to this case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/chinese-nationals-sentenced-trafficking-counterfeit-gift-cards-belleville