Three Arrested in Texas for $14 Million Gift Card Fraud

Three undocumented immigrants from Eastern Europe have been detained in Texas, suspected of participating in a fraud scheme involving gift cards worth $14 million that affected several states. The arrests were made by the Texas Financial Crimes Information Center (FCIC).

The suspects—Christian Petroviskis, Romans Kublevics, and Nurmunds Urevikas, all originally from Latvia—told investigators that since May, they had been stealing gift cards from around ten different stores daily, consistently every week.

According to FCIC Director Adam Colby, the process involved carefully peeling back the packaging. “They remove the card and then take off the protective layer on the back that conceals the activation number,” he explained. This allows the criminals to enter that number into another system to monitor the card.

Colby confirmed that the individuals were in the U.S. illegally. Once the activation numbers were transferred to a new card, they would reconstruct it to appear as if it were untouched and place it back on store shelves for unsuspecting customers.

As soon as funds were loaded onto an activated card, the criminals could then transfer that money to another card, effectively turning it into cash or using it to purchase high-end items.

At the time of their arrest, authorities discovered over 400 gift cards in their possession. They targeted retail locations in multiple cities, such as Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Currently, they face charges of first-degree fraudulent possession of gift cards.

The inquiry unfolds amid heightened attention on fraud concerning illegal immigrants and their communities, including a recent federal investigation into child care fraud in Minneapolis.