by: Spencer Mahon
PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — Two men have been arrested by the Orem and Provo Police Departments for their involvement in a “Tap to Pay” scam at Home Depot locations in Salt Lake County and Utah County. Zikai Gao, 20, and Liangrui Zhou were taken into custody and face multiple serious charges, including communications fraud, forgery, money laundering, and unlawful acquisition of financial cards.
According to police, Gao and Zhou were using stolen financial card information loaded onto their phones to purchase pre-paid gift cards, a common tactic in “Tap to Pay” scams. The two suspects had previously tried to buy prepaid Lululemon gift cards at a Home Depot in Provo, but were unsuccessful. After the incident, the pair attempted the same scam in Utah County.
Upon investigation, police found multiple receipts and Target gift cards in the parking lot when they stopped Gao and Zhou. The suspects, both Chinese nationals with work authorization cards, were reportedly not cooperative during interviews. Police later obtained a search warrant and discovered over 100 stolen Target gift cards from stores in Provo and Spanish Fork. They also found forged scratch-off replacement stickers for the gift cards.
Gao and Zhou were arrested and booked into Utah County Jail, facing charges related to fraud, money laundering, and the unlawful use of financial cards. The investigation is ongoing, and the charges are allegations, with both suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty.
