Hundreds Arrested in California for Massive Gift Card Scam
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has made a major breakthrough in cracking down on a sophisticated gift card scam that has national and international implications. In a massive anti-theft operation dubbed Operation Bad Elf, the sheriff’s office arrested 285 suspects in just seven days, including a Chinese national accused of orchestrating the scam.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, detectives observed the suspect, identified as Ningning Sun, acting suspiciously near the gift cards in a Sacramento Target store. Sun was reportedly caught on surveillance footage removing all the gift cards from a rack and concealing them inside his jacket. He then allegedly replaced the missing cards with “another set of seemingly identical ones.”
Upon making the arrest, authorities also found thousands of Apple and Target gift cards in Sun’s car. The investigation revealed that Sun was part of a larger operation that tampered with gift cards, recording PINs and channeling the siphoned money to an offshore account within seconds.
The sheriff’s office has urged the public to be cautious when purchasing physical gift cards, as the operations are very sophisticated and modifications to the gift cards are often virtually undetectable. Shoppers were warned to look out for any signs of tampering, especially scuff marks or scratches near the bar code when buying gift cards.
Sheriff Jim Cooper has spoken out about the rising retail theft crimes in California, pinning the blame on a 2014 ballot initiative, Proposition 47, which lowered shoplifting charges for thefts of $950 or less from felonies to misdemeanors. Cooper is calling for a new ballot initiative to change California laws that incentivize criminal behavior.
The sheriff’s office is still investigating Sun and his alleged crimes, and is asking the public to come forward with any tips on the case. Authorities believe that Sun may have been involved in similar scams at other stores and are urging the public’s assistance in potentially linking him to other crimes.
In a video spotlighting Operation Bad Elf, Sheriff Cooper called on retailers to prioritize safety in their stores and reiterated the need for changes in the law to combat criminal behavior. Cooper urged retailers to fund the initiative for stricter penalties, stating that it will pass overwhelmingly if put on the ballot.