A Massachusetts man, Michael O’Brien Jr., has been sentenced to five years in prison for orchestrating a massive gift card scam that targeted Target stores across the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
O’Brien, 32, stole at least $508,000 from Target by exploiting their gift card system. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. His scheme involved purchasing Target gift cards and then selling their codes online. Afterward, O’Brien would return the gift cards to the store for a full refund, allowing him to profit from both the sale and the refund, the DOJ revealed.
The scam affected Target locations in 36 states, including California, and involved more than 1,000 gift cards. O’Brien admitted that he intended to steal over $1 million using this method.
In addition to his prison sentence, O’Brien has been ordered to pay $508,000 in restitution to Target and will serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.