ALBANY, GA – Two men are facing serious time after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud charges stemming from elaborate schemes that fleeced hundreds of Americans through fraudulent Walmart gift card purchases. Yao Lin, 51, of Ruther Glen, Virginia, and Wen Xue Lin, 39, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, each admitted to their roles in the scams, which stretched across the country.
The U.S. Secret Service, leading the investigations, uncovered a network of fraudsters operating both domestically and internationally. According to court documents, both Lin and Lin (no relation) independently traveled to Walmart stores throughout the southern United States, using fraudulently obtained electronic Walmart gift card numbers loaded onto their smartphones. The source of those numbers? Hundreds of victims scammed nationwide.
Wen Xue Lin’s operation was particularly brazen. Taken into custody on September 26, 2019, at a Walmart in Hazlehurst, Georgia, he’d been systematically purchasing gift cards over a three-day period across multiple cities in the Middle District of Georgia – Tifton, Winder, Athens, Madison, Forsyth, Macon, Warner Robins, Perry, Cordele, Americus, and Albany. A search of his vehicle revealed a staggering haul: 1,298 Walmart Vanilla Mastercard and American Express gift cards, totaling $229,100 in face value, with an additional $40,000 in unused value. He’d used $287,335.34 to acquire these cards.
Yao Lin’s scheme was even larger in scope. Between February 19 and March 29, 2021, he was linked to 1,649 transactions using 1,271 different Walmart gift cards, racking up a total of $533,341.75 in fraudulent purchases. The victims of these initial scams were spread across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Lin was apprehended in Valdosta, Georgia, on March 29, 2021, while making fraudulent transactions at multiple Walmart stores.
Both Yao Lin and Wen Xue Lin now face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release and a potential $1,000,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary emphasized the importance of reporting fraud to authorities, noting that local police reports played a crucial role in building these cases. “Fraudsters, both here and abroad, are relentless,” Leary stated. “I hope this case reminds all of us to be alert.”
Clint Bush, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Albany office, highlighted the international dimension of the crimes. “These investigations clearly show how foreign actors prey on American victims,” Bush said. He also credited the strong partnership between the Secret Service and Walmart Global Investigations for preventing further victimization. The Secret Service vows to continue pursuing financial criminals “around the nation.”
Related Federal Cases
- Charles Silva, SNAP Benefits Fraud, New Jersey 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Peter F. Neronha, Tax Evasion, Rhode Island 2016 · Pennsylvania
- Four Georgia Residents Sentenced For Wire Fraud, Georgia 2012 · South Carolina
- Edward Claude Hammitt, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Georgia 2014 · South Carolina
- Maria E. Trenam, Wire Fraud, Georgia 2016 · Georgia
Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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