Three men suspected of operating a multimillion-dollar gift card fraud operation have been arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail, according to officials.
Authorities identified the suspects as Kristians Petrovskis, Romunds Cubrevics, and Nurmunds Ulevicus, who now face charges of fraudulent possession of gift cards. Investigators allege the group was involved in a sophisticated gift card cloning scheme that caused an estimated $14 million in losses.
According to the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, the suspects were found with more than 400 gift cards in their possession. Investigators believe the men stole unactivated gift cards from retail store kiosks, carefully opened the packaging, copied the cards’ electronic numbers, and then resealed the packages before returning them to store displays.
Once unsuspecting customers purchased and loaded money onto the cards, the suspects allegedly monitored the balances and quickly drained the funds before the cards could be used. Officials said the scheme targeted retailers across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Central Texas, and the Gulf Coast.
Investigators reported that the suspects told authorities they typically stole about 10 gift cards per day and had been carrying out the scheme daily since May.
Law enforcement officials are urging consumers to inspect gift card packaging closely for signs of tampering, such as excess glue or damaged seals, before making a purchase.
