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Gift Card Fraud in the United States US fraud investigation · 50-state evidence map [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis # Gift Card Fraud in the United States 32 patterns examined, from impostors and drained cards to insider fraud and chargeback manipulation By [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) Published: September 17, 2026 at 08:00 AM 66 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fgift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Gift%20Card%20Fraud%20in%20the%20United%20States "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fgift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Gift%20Card%20Fraud%20in%20the%20United%20States%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fgift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") Explore the 50 states ## F01\. Gift card fraud: the evidence across 50 states Explore a documented case or public warning in every state. Hover, tap or use the state selector to see the mechanism, source date, documented status and meaning of any monetary amount. Colours classify the selected evidence, not how often fraud occurs. Research as of September 17, 2026 Hover over a state for details. Tap or use the state selector to explore on any device. Copyright 2013-2019 Michael Bostock Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. [ Alabama: A federal indictment charged Jiadong Cao and Xuejun Zheng with possessing counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. The Justice Department linked the allegations to a Pelham traffic stop where officers found more than 5,000 gift cards. That inventory is not a dollar-loss figure. The indictment records allegations, not a finding of guilt. ](#article-section-alabama)[ Alaska: The state Department of Law described fraudulent payment demands, including demands for gift cards, made in the names of federal authorities or companies. The source is a consumer protection warning, not a criminal judgment or a measure of local incidence. ](#article-section-alaska)[ Arizona: Yuniel Rodriguez-Leon received two years and nine months in prison, followed by two and a half years of probation, in a gift card cloning case. The documented conduct involved Walmart stores in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties in 2023. ](#article-section-arizona)[ Arkansas: The official gift card guide warns about offers of “free” cards and purchases from unreliable sources. The entry documents the authority’s recognition of the risk; it does not identify a convicted person or a verified local loss. ](#article-section-arkansas)[ California: Michael O’Brien Jr. was sentenced to five years for a fraud affecting Target. The case describes abuse of gift card and return processes in California and 35 other states. The approximately $508,000 loss is distinct from the intended loss of more than $1 million. ](#article-section-california)[ Colorado: The consumer protection authority warned about impostors using tax season to demand payments, including through gift cards. The message does not present an individual criminal case. It does not establish an amount of gift card fraud in Colorado. ](#article-section-colorado)[ Connecticut: Chester Culler was sentenced for a fraudulent-return scheme involving TJX stores across 30 states. He was arrested in Wethersfield. The total of more than $400,000 concerns retail fraud involving cash and store value, not exclusively gift card losses in Connecticut. ](#article-section-connecticut)[ Delaware: The state police published warnings about scams in which victims are pressured to pay, including with gift cards. The selected source is preventive: it provides no convicted person’s name, stolen balance, or separate gift card statistic. ](#article-section-delaware)[ Florida: Cao Yuan Liu pleaded guilty on September 23, 2025 to a conspiracy involving counterfeit or unauthorized gift cards. The Justice Department's November announcement described tampered cards placed in grocery stores during 2024 and approximately 42 stores targeted across Florida. The selected record establishes a guilty plea; it does not quantify consumers' total losses. ](#article-section-florida)[ Georgia: Felecia Ingram was sentenced for stealing approximately 8,325 Home Depot gift cards with a total value of $4,085,043\. The court separately ordered $3,946,776 in restitution. The case concerns abuse of employee access; the restitution amount is not identical to the value of the cards. ](#article-section-georgia)[ Hawaii: Authorities reported that a victim received messages in the attorney general’s name and was asked to send photographs of cards and codes. The victim recovered the funds with help from the financial institution. The amount and the existence of an individual prosecution are not specified. ](#article-section-hawaii)[ Idaho: The attorney general warned about calls invoking absence from jury duty and demanding payment of fictitious fines, including through gift cards. This is a warning about a scam pattern, not evidence of a conviction or a measured level of losses. ](#article-section-idaho)[ Illinois: Hongying Wang and Guangwei Gao each received prison sentences of more than a year for trafficking in counterfeit cards. The case involved Target stores and an enforcement action in Belleville. The more than 6,100 cards mentioned in the release are items involved in the investigation, not a loss expressed in dollars. ](#article-section-illinois)[ Indiana: Michael Meenan, a former IT director at an Indianapolis nonprofit, was sentenced for personal purchases paid for by the organization. They included Apple and Southwest gift cards and Amazon reloads. The $543,521 restitution covers the entire fraud, including other goods; it is not an exclusively gift card total. ](#article-section-indiana)[ Iowa: Algona police published a warning about the use of gift cards in scams. The selected material documents local prevention efforts, not an indictment. It is not used to claim that Iowa has more or less fraud than states with criminal cases in the register. ](#article-section-iowa)[ Kansas: Public protection materials describe impostors and other scams that may demand gift cards as a payment method. This reference does not allow a statewide loss to be established or a convicted person to be identified in an individual gift card fraud case. ](#article-section-kansas)[ Kentucky: Yongjian You was sentenced for mail fraud in a gift card compromise operation that included Kroger stores in Lexington. The release mentions potential exposure of more than $1.1 million. That was potential exposure, not a measured loss already borne by buyers. ](#article-section-kentucky)[ Louisiana: Richard Verret was sentenced in a federal case involving an illicit online marketplace for gift card data. The DOJ cited more than 500,000 stolen account numbers and forfeiture of more than $810,000 in proceeds. The case’s venue does not automatically place all victims in Louisiana. ](#article-section-louisiana)[ Maine: The financial institutions regulator warns about demands for gift cards to satisfy alleged obligations and about consumer fraud. The entry is a prevention source. The selected material does not establish the name, loss amount, or outcome of an individual criminal case. ](#article-section-maine)[ Maryland: Yong Chen was sentenced in a scheme that obtained cards from victims deceived by technical-support and refund pretexts. The DOJ reported a scheme worth approximately $561,000 and a $169,950 restitution obligation for the defendant. Redemptions included Maryland and Virginia. ](#article-section-maryland)[ Massachusetts: Cambridge police included fraudulent gift card demands and risks associated with cards or deceptive offers in their holiday warning. This is a local prevention reference, not a judicial tally. No loss calculated from national data is attributed to the state. ](#article-section-massachusetts)[ Michigan: Michigan's Attorney General announced charges against Guangji Zhang and Huachao Sun over alleged tampering with gift cards sold at Metro Detroit Meijer stores. Investigators reported more than 3,000 cards seized. The announcement documents charges and a seizure, not a conviction or a quantified consumer loss. ](#article-section-michigan)[ Minnesota: The attorney general explains the risks of reward and free-gift-card offers that seek personal data or payments. This is a warning about luring victims with an apparent prize, not about draining a card they bought. It does not document an individual conviction. ](#article-section-minnesota)[ Mississippi: The secretary of state warns about financial scams and suspicious payment demands, including through gift cards. The selected source does not isolate a local gift card case or an amount attributable to such cards. For that reason, the state remains in the warnings category. ](#article-section-mississippi)[ Missouri: Rashad Niles Shahid was sentenced for gift card fraud using unlawfully obtained employee identifiers. The case includes stores in Maplewood, Manchester, Florissant, and Shrewsbury. The court ordered $88,269 in restitution; this judicial obligation does not establish that the money has already been recovered. ](#article-section-missouri)[ Montana: The Office of Consumer Protection reported calls in which impostors pose as law enforcement representatives and demand money, including gift cards. The overall number of reports in a warning is not converted here into a gift card fraud statistic. ](#article-section-montana)[ Nebraska: The authority warned about people claiming that a relative has an emergency and requesting payments, including through gift cards. The source describes the deception mechanism without establishing the identity of a convicted person or an individual loss that could be mapped as a case. ](#article-section-nebraska)[ Nevada: Nevada announced its participation in a multistate campaign against gift card fraud. The release is useful for documenting the public warning, but it is not a criminal case and does not measure the campaign’s effectiveness or the state’s fraud rate. ](#article-section-nevada)[ New Hampshire: The DOJ and HSI sought to identify victims of an Apple gift card scheme involving conduct from October 1, 2023 through September 1, 2025\. The announcement is not a conviction. The stated response deadline, May 15, 2026, had already passed by the date of this article. ](#article-section-new-hampshire)[ New Jersey: Nikolay Krechet was found guilty in a case that included obtaining gift cards through stolen payment details. The FBI subsequently published a wanted notice after he left before his sentencing date. The verdict and the FBI notice are distinct records of the case. ](#article-section-new-jersey)[ New Mexico: The Workers’ Compensation Administration warns about impostors invoking judges, lawyers, or insurance benefits and demanding the purchase of gift cards before a supposed payment. This is a prevention alert, not a judicial finding against an identified individual. ](#article-section-new-mexico)[ New York: Jun Wang was sentenced to 70 months in prison for a money laundering conspiracy involving gift cards bought by scam victims across the United States. The Justice Department said he redeemed $2,285,039.81 at Walmart and Sam's Club stores in Florida. The court ordered forfeiture of that amount and $275,634.27 in restitution to identified victims. Some victims lived in the Northern District of New York; the full sum is not a New York-only loss. ](#article-section-new-york)[ North Carolina: The official holiday fraud prevention material includes suspicious payment demands and risks associated with gift cards. It is not treated as a criminal case or a prevalence statistic. The state has a verified warning in the register, not a selected individual case. ](#article-section-north-carolina)[ North Dakota: The attorney general’s guide describes scams in which victims are asked for money or prepaid products following an apparently legitimate request. It includes impersonation variants and false opportunities. It does not allow a gift card loss amount to be isolated for North Dakota. ](#article-section-north-dakota)[ Ohio: Ming Xue was sentenced in Coshocton County for participating in a counterfeit card scheme. The attorney general’s release documents the sentence of four to six years. The number of counts is not used as a count of victims or independent incidents. ](#article-section-ohio)[ Oklahoma: Leonard Ray Foster was sentenced in a large-scale scheme that converted stolen goods into gift card value through fraudulent returns. It is an example of the link between retail theft and card monetization. No assumption is made that every resale platform used in the flow knowingly participated in the crime. ](#article-section-oklahoma)[ Oregon: Maria Lana Gilbert was sentenced after using BLM funds for personal goods and gift cards instead of authorized purchases. The mixed loss of $41,276.33 had been repaid in full by sentencing, according to the DOJ. The case does not concern gift cards exclusively. ](#article-section-oregon)[ Pennsylvania: The Justice Department charged Chad Douglas Broudy in 2018 over gift-card over-redemption worth approximately $320,582\. The Philadelphia Inquirer subsequently reported that he pleaded guilty and received a one-day prison sentence and four months of house arrest in September 2019\. It reported $319,739 in restitution, paid before sentencing according to his lawyer. The charging amount and restitution figure are different measures. ](#article-section-pennsylvania)[ Rhode Island: Mattek Scott was sentenced in a retail fraud carried out in at least 11 states, including Rhode Island. The scheme obtained goods and gift cards without actual payment. The approximately $140,000 loss belongs to the merchant in the case and is mixed, not an exclusively card-related total. ](#article-section-rhode-island)[ South Carolina: The Beaufort County Sheriff reported the case of a Hilton Head woman deceived through a fake Amazon problem and supposed CIA intervention. Reported losses were $30,000 in gift cards and $100,000 in cash. Only the first component is a gift card loss. ](#article-section-south-carolina)[ South Dakota: Kayla Ottmo, a former postal employee, received two years of probation for mail theft that included gift cards. The $315 restitution concerns the property in the case; it is not automatically treated as the value of gift cards alone. The conduct occurred in 2018. ](#article-section-south-dakota)[ Tennessee: In the warning issued after the winter storms, the attorney general described impostors exploiting utility problems and demanding unusual payments, including gift cards. This is not a criminal judgment and does not quantify card-related losses in Tennessee. ](#article-section-tennessee)[ Texas: Jason Tout-Puissant and Syed Ali received sentences of 60 and 37 months, respectively, for an Apple gift card scheme. The case links unauthorized issuance to a store in Southlake. The value of more than $1.5 million described by the DOJ should not be confused with individual restitution. ](#article-section-texas)[ Utah: Chaohui Chen and Wenyi Zheng were sentenced for participating in a scheme that obtained cards from victims of impostors. Each was ordered to pay $217,200 in restitution for the same scheme. Repeating the obligation for two defendants does not turn the loss into $434,400. ](#article-section-utah)[ Vermont: In its material on scams reported in 2023, the authority also described reward or credit messages that may use gift cards as bait. The overall number of reports about all scams is not used here as a gift card fraud statistic. ](#article-section-vermont)[ Virginia: The Caffe Aficionado case in Arlington linked stolen bank card details to American Express gift cards and transactions through the business involved. Adiam Berhane received ten years in prison in March 2023\. This is a mixed financial fraud case involving gift cards usable across a payment network. ](#article-section-virginia)[ Washington: Jeffery Douglas Mann was sentenced for leading a network that stole more than $700,000 from Target and its customers. The case describes compromise of gift card numbers without possession of the physical cards. The amount concerns the network’s activity in several western states, not Washington alone. ](#article-section-washington)[ West Virginia: The official warnings page describes demands for money to unlock prizes, including requests for gift cards. This source does not establish an individual court case or a statewide fraud rate. The warning label does not mean that actual cases are absent. ](#article-section-west-virginia)[ Wisconsin: DATCP warned about drained cards and explained risks from physical compromise and abusive digital balance checking. The source is an alert about a reported phenomenon, not a case with an identified defendant. Under the methodology, it remains in the warnings category. ](#article-section-wisconsin)[ Wyoming: The Wyoming Judicial Branch warned that impostors were invoking missed jury service and threatening arrest unless residents paid immediately, including with gift cards. Its October 2024 notice said the courts do not demand telephone payments for missed jury service. This is an official statewide warning, not a documented conviction or a measure of gift card fraud incidence. ](#article-section-wyoming) Alaska and Hawaii are shown as insets. Find a state Choose a state AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming 50 ### Explore the state-by-state evidence. Select a state to read its classification, details and underlying sources. Each state links to its full analysis below. Charge, investigation or individual incident ### Alabama A federal indictment charged Jiadong Cao and Xuejun Zheng with possessing counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. The Justice Department linked the allegations to a Pelham traffic stop where officers found more than 5,000 gift cards. That inventory is not a dollar-loss figure. The indictment records allegations, not a finding of guilt. Mechanism: Counterfeit / altered cards. Documented status: Indictment announced July 30, 2025\. Source date: July 30, 2025\. Amount and its meaning: Actual loss not specified in the cited indictment announcement. State connection: Pelham enforcement action; Northern District of Alabama prosecution. **Read the sources** * [DOJ — indictment announcement, July 30, 2025 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/chinese-nationals-charged-illegally-possessing-counterfeit-and-unauthorized-gift-cards?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Alabama analysis ](#article-section-alabama) Public warning ### Alaska The state Department of Law described fraudulent payment demands, including demands for gift cards, made in the names of federal authorities or companies. The source is a consumer protection warning, not a criminal judgment or a measure of local incidence. Mechanism: Impersonation of authorities / merchants. Documented status: Official warning; no individual case selected. Source date: May 25, 2021\. Amount and its meaning: No loss published for an individual case. State connection: Warning addressed to the Alaska public. **Read the sources** * [Alaska Department of Law: Fraud and Scam Reduction Act / consumer scam warning (May 25, 2021) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.law.state.ak.us/press/releases/2021/052521-FraudAndScamReductionAct.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Alaska analysis ](#article-section-alaska) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Arizona Yuniel Rodriguez-Leon received two years and nine months in prison, followed by two and a half years of probation, in a gift card cloning case. The documented conduct involved Walmart stores in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties in 2023. Mechanism: Cloning of physical cards. Documented status: Sentence imposed on September 17, 2024\. Source date: September 30, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Loss not specified in the selected entry. State connection: Operations in three Arizona counties. **Read the sources** * [Arizona Attorney General: Sentencing in Gift Card Cloning Case (September 30, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mayes-announces-sentencing-gift-card-cloning-case?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Arizona analysis ](#article-section-arizona) Public warning ### Arkansas The official gift card guide warns about offers of “free” cards and purchases from unreliable sources. The entry documents the authority’s recognition of the risk; it does not identify a convicted person or a verified local loss. Mechanism: Fake prizes / deceptive resale. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: State prevention material. **Read the sources** * [Arkansas Attorney General: Gift Cards (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://arkansasag.gov/divisions/public-protection/finances/gift-cards/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Arkansas analysis ](#article-section-arkansas) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### California Michael O’Brien Jr. was sentenced to five years for a fraud affecting Target. The case describes abuse of gift card and return processes in California and 35 other states. The approximately $508,000 loss is distinct from the intended loss of more than $1 million. Mechanism: Fraudulent returns / repeated monetization. Documented status: Sentence: 60 months. Source date: September 25, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Approximately $508,000: scheme-wide loss, not exclusive to California. State connection: Local conduct and federal case; multistate network. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, N.D. California: Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Over $500,000 Retail Theft (September 25, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/massachusetts-man-sentenced-five-years-prison-over-500000-retail-theft?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full California analysis ](#article-section-california) Public warning ### Colorado The consumer protection authority warned about impostors using tax season to demand payments, including through gift cards. The message does not present an individual criminal case. It does not establish an amount of gift card fraud in Colorado. Mechanism: Fake tax authorities / threats. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: March 24, 2023\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Tax-scam warning for state residents. **Read the sources** * [Colorado Attorney General: Consumer warning on tax scams (March 24, 2023) (opens in a new tab)](https://coag.gov/press-releases/3-24-23/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Colorado analysis ](#article-section-colorado) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Connecticut Chester Culler was sentenced for a fraudulent-return scheme involving TJX stores across 30 states. He was arrested in Wethersfield. The total of more than $400,000 concerns retail fraud involving cash and store value, not exclusively gift card losses in Connecticut. Mechanism: False returns / store credit. Documented status: Sentence: nine months. Source date: February 27, 2025\. Amount and its meaning: More than $400,000: mixed, multistate loss. State connection: Arrest in Wethersfield; local federal case. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of Connecticut: Queens Man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding TJX Stores in 30 States of More Than $400K (February 27, 2025) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/queens-man-sentenced-prison-defrauding-tjx-stores-30-states-more-400k?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Connecticut analysis ](#article-section-connecticut) Public warning ### Delaware The state police published warnings about scams in which victims are pressured to pay, including with gift cards. The selected source is preventive: it provides no convicted person’s name, stolen balance, or separate gift card statistic. Mechanism: False identities and payment demands. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: July 10, 2019\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Delaware State Police warning. **Read the sources** * [Delaware State Police: Scam Alert Advisories (July 10, 2019) (opens in a new tab)](https://dsp.delaware.gov/2019/07/10/delaware-state-police-issues-scam-alert-advisories/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Delaware analysis ](#article-section-delaware) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Florida Cao Yuan Liu pleaded guilty on September 23, 2025 to a conspiracy involving counterfeit or unauthorized gift cards. The Justice Department's November announcement described tampered cards placed in grocery stores during 2024 and approximately 42 stores targeted across Florida. The selected record establishes a guilty plea; it does not quantify consumers' total losses. Mechanism: Tampering with cards on display racks. Documented status: Guilty plea entered September 23, 2025\. Source date: November 24, 2025\. Amount and its meaning: Actual loss not specified in the cited guilty-plea announcement. State connection: Stores in St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. **Read the sources** * [DOJ — guilty plea announcement, November 24, 2025 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/chinese-national-pleads-guilty-south-florida-gift-card-fraud-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Florida analysis ](#article-section-florida) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Georgia Felecia Ingram was sentenced for stealing approximately 8,325 Home Depot gift cards with a total value of $4,085,043\. The court separately ordered $3,946,776 in restitution. The case concerns abuse of employee access; the restitution amount is not identical to the value of the cards. Mechanism: Insider fraud / unauthorized issuance. Documented status: Sentence: 37 months. Source date: February 26, 2026\. Amount and its meaning: $4,085,043: card value; $3,946,776: court-ordered restitution. State connection: Internal company access, Georgia. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, N.D. Georgia: Former Home Depot Associate Sentenced for Stealing More Than $4 Million (February 26, 2026) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/former-home-depot-associate-sentenced-federal-prison-stealing-more-4-million-company?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Georgia analysis ](#article-section-georgia) Charge, investigation or individual incident ### Hawaii Authorities reported that a victim received messages in the attorney general’s name and was asked to send photographs of cards and codes. The victim recovered the funds with help from the financial institution. The amount and the existence of an individual prosecution are not specified. Mechanism: Impersonation of the attorney general. Documented status: Officially reported incident; no charged person identified. Source date: August 3, 2026\. Amount and its meaning: Amount not published; recovery reported. State connection: Victim described in the Hawaii warning. **Read the sources** * [Hawaii Department of the Attorney General: Gift Card Scam Impersonating the Attorney General — Release 2026-49 (August 3, 2026) (opens in a new tab)](https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/2026-49-department-of-the-attorney-general-warns-public-of-gift-card-scam-impersonating-the-attorney-general/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Hawaii analysis ](#article-section-hawaii) Public warning ### Idaho The attorney general warned about calls invoking absence from jury duty and demanding payment of fictitious fines, including through gift cards. This is a warning about a scam pattern, not evidence of a conviction or a measured level of losses. Mechanism: Jury-duty scam. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: November 26, 2025\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Warning for Idaho. **Read the sources** * [Idaho Attorney General: Jury Duty Scams Sweeping Across Idaho (November 26, 2025) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/consumer-alert-attorney-general-cautions-against-jury-duty-scams-sweeping-across-idaho/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Idaho analysis ](#article-section-idaho) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Illinois Hongying Wang and Guangwei Gao each received prison sentences of more than a year for trafficking in counterfeit cards. The case involved Target stores and an enforcement action in Belleville. The more than 6,100 cards mentioned in the release are items involved in the investigation, not a loss expressed in dollars. Mechanism: Trafficking in counterfeit gift cards. Documented status: Prison sentences. Source date: February 13, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Actual loss not specified. State connection: Belleville; operations in the Midwest. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, S.D. Illinois: Chinese Nationals Sentenced for Trafficking Counterfeit Gift Cards in Belleville (February 13, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/chinese-nationals-sentenced-trafficking-counterfeit-gift-cards-belleville?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Illinois analysis ](#article-section-illinois) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Indiana Michael Meenan, a former IT director at an Indianapolis nonprofit, was sentenced for personal purchases paid for by the organization. They included Apple and Southwest gift cards and Amazon reloads. The $543,521 restitution covers the entire fraud, including other goods; it is not an exclusively gift card total. Mechanism: Misuse of a company card / personal purchases. Documented status: Sentence: 18 months. Source date: July 21, 2026\. Amount and its meaning: $543,521: restitution for mixed losses. State connection: Indianapolis organization. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, S.D. Indiana: Former Non-Profit IT Director Sentenced for Nearly $550,000 Theft (July 21, 2026) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/former-non-profit-it-director-sentenced-federal-prison-nearly-550000-theft?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Indiana analysis ](#article-section-indiana) Public warning ### Iowa Algona police published a warning about the use of gift cards in scams. The selected material documents local prevention efforts, not an indictment. It is not used to claim that Iowa has more or less fraud than states with criminal cases in the register. Mechanism: Fraudulent demands for payment by card. Documented status: Local police warning. Source date: February 23, 2023\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Local warning, Algona. **Read the sources** * [City of Algona / Police: Gift card scam warning (February 23, 2023) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.algonaiowa.gov/news/6374?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Iowa analysis ](#article-section-iowa) Public warning ### Kansas Public protection materials describe impostors and other scams that may demand gift cards as a payment method. This reference does not allow a statewide loss to be established or a convicted person to be identified in an individual gift card fraud case. Mechanism: Fake authorities / fictitious relationships. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Prevention materials for Kansas. **Read the sources** * [Kansas Attorney General: Public Protection (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.ag.ks.gov/divisions/public-protection?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Kansas analysis ](#article-section-kansas) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Kentucky Yongjian You was sentenced for mail fraud in a gift card compromise operation that included Kroger stores in Lexington. The release mentions potential exposure of more than $1.1 million. That was potential exposure, not a measured loss already borne by buyers. Mechanism: Altered cards / distribution. Documented status: Sentence: 27 months. Source date: May 2, 2025\. Amount and its meaning: More than $1.1 million: potential loss. State connection: Stores and operations in Lexington. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, E.D. Kentucky: Chinese National Sentenced for Mail Fraud (May 2, 2025) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/chinese-national-sentenced-mail-fraud?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Kentucky analysis ](#article-section-kentucky) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Louisiana Richard Verret was sentenced in a federal case involving an illicit online marketplace for gift card data. The DOJ cited more than 500,000 stolen account numbers and forfeiture of more than $810,000 in proceeds. The case’s venue does not automatically place all victims in Louisiana. Mechanism: Illegal marketplace for stolen codes. Documented status: Sentence: 57 months. Source date: June 26, 2023\. Amount and its meaning: More than $810,000: forfeited proceeds, not total victim losses. State connection: Federal case in the Middle District of Louisiana. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, M.D. Louisiana: Sentence for Operating an Illicit Online Marketplace (June 26, 2023) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdla/pr/canadian-man-sentenced-lengthy-federal-prison-sentence-scheme-operate-illicit-online?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Louisiana analysis ](#article-section-louisiana) Public warning ### Maine The financial institutions regulator warns about demands for gift cards to satisfy alleged obligations and about consumer fraud. The entry is a prevention source. The selected material does not establish the name, loss amount, or outcome of an individual criminal case. Mechanism: Fictitious payment demands / seasonal scams. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: December 1, 2021\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Financial warning for Maine consumers. **Read the sources** * [Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions: Superintendent Warns Consumers of Potential Scams (December 1, 2021) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.maine.gov/pfr/financialinstitutions/news-notices/2022-05-16-maine-financial-institutions-superintendent-warns-consumers-potential?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Maine analysis ](#article-section-maine) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Maryland Yong Chen was sentenced in a scheme that obtained cards from victims deceived by technical-support and refund pretexts. The DOJ reported a scheme worth approximately $561,000 and a $169,950 restitution obligation for the defendant. Redemptions included Maryland and Virginia. Mechanism: Fake technical support / cashing in codes. Documented status: Sentence imposed on July 26, 2023: 36 months. Source date: July 27, 2023\. Amount and its meaning: Approximately $561,000: scheme value; $169,950: court-ordered restitution. State connection: Local redemptions; victims in several states. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of Maryland: Owings Mills Man Sentenced for Fraudulent Gift Card Scheme (July 27, 2023) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/owings-mills-man-sentenced-three-years-federal-prison-fraudulent-gift-card-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Maryland analysis ](#article-section-maryland) Public warning ### Massachusetts Cambridge police included fraudulent gift card demands and risks associated with cards or deceptive offers in their holiday warning. This is a local prevention reference, not a judicial tally. No loss calculated from national data is attributed to the state. Mechanism: Impostors / altered cards / fake offers. Documented status: Local police warning. Source date: December 3, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Local warning, Cambridge. **Read the sources** * [Cambridge Police Department: Common Holiday-Themed Scams (December 3, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cambridgema.gov/departments/cambridgepolice/news/2024/12/cpdwarnspublicofcommonholidaythemedscams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Massachusetts analysis ](#article-section-massachusetts) Charge, investigation or individual incident ### Michigan Michigan's Attorney General announced charges against Guangji Zhang and Huachao Sun over alleged tampering with gift cards sold at Metro Detroit Meijer stores. Investigators reported more than 3,000 cards seized. The announcement documents charges and a seizure, not a conviction or a quantified consumer loss. Mechanism: Tampering with cards on display racks. Documented status: Charges announced March 14, 2025\. Source date: March 14, 2025\. Amount and its meaning: Actual loss not specified in the cited charging announcement. State connection: Meijer stores in Metro Detroit. **Read the sources** * [Michigan Attorney General — charging announcement, March 14, 2025 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/03/14/ag-nessel-charges-two-in-alleged-gift-card-scam-targeting-metro-detroit-meijer-stores?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Michigan analysis ](#article-section-michigan) Public warning ### Minnesota The attorney general explains the risks of reward and free-gift-card offers that seek personal data or payments. This is a warning about luring victims with an apparent prize, not about draining a card they bought. It does not document an individual conviction. Mechanism: “Free” gift cards / phishing. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Prevention material for Minnesota. **Read the sources** * [Minnesota Attorney General: Gift Cards: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/GiftCardsFreeLunch.asp?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Minnesota analysis ](#article-section-minnesota) Public warning ### Mississippi The secretary of state warns about financial scams and suspicious payment demands, including through gift cards. The selected source does not isolate a local gift card case or an amount attributable to such cards. For that reason, the state remains in the warnings category. Mechanism: Impostors / unusual payment demands. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Official financial fraud prevention warning. **Read the sources** * [Mississippi Secretary of State: Warning on Increasing Uses of Investment Scams (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.sos.ms.gov/news/secretary-michael-watson-warns-increasing-uses-investment-scams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Mississippi analysis ](#article-section-mississippi) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Missouri Rashad Niles Shahid was sentenced for gift card fraud using unlawfully obtained employee identifiers. The case includes stores in Maplewood, Manchester, Florissant, and Shrewsbury. The court ordered $88,269 in restitution; this judicial obligation does not establish that the money has already been recovered. Mechanism: Compromised employee identifiers / unauthorized value. Documented status: Sentence: three years. Source date: July 25, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: $88,269: court-ordered restitution. State connection: Stores in Missouri. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, E.D. Missouri: Store Gift Card Fraud Leads to 3 Years in Prison (July 25, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/store-gift-card-fraud-leads-3-years-prison?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Missouri analysis ](#article-section-missouri) Public warning ### Montana The Office of Consumer Protection reported calls in which impostors pose as law enforcement representatives and demand money, including gift cards. The overall number of reports in a warning is not converted here into a gift card fraud statistic. Mechanism: Fake police officers. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: February 21, 2023\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Warning for the Montana public. **Read the sources** * [Montana Department of Justice: Scam Callers Posing as Law Enforcement (February 21, 2023) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.dojmt.gov/dojs-ocp-receiving-increased-reports-of-scam-callers-posing-as-law-enforcement/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Montana analysis ](#article-section-montana) Public warning ### Nebraska The authority warned about people claiming that a relative has an emergency and requesting payments, including through gift cards. The source describes the deception mechanism without establishing the identity of a convicted person or an individual loss that could be mapped as a case. Mechanism: Fictitious family emergency. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: April 4, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Warning for Nebraska. **Read the sources** * [Nebraska Attorney General: Family Emergency Scams Consumer Alert (April 4, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://ago.nebraska.gov/news/nebraska-attorney-generals-office-issues-consumer-alert-regarding-family-emergency-scams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Nebraska analysis ](#article-section-nebraska) Public warning ### Nevada Nevada announced its participation in a multistate campaign against gift card fraud. The release is useful for documenting the public warning, but it is not a criminal case and does not measure the campaign’s effectiveness or the state’s fraud rate. Mechanism: Gift card fraud / awareness. Documented status: Official prevention campaign. Source date: December 22, 2025\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: State-announced prevention campaign. **Read the sources** * [Nevada Attorney General: Multi-State PSA Campaign to Combat Gift Card Fraud (December 22, 2025) (opens in a new tab)](https://ag.nv.gov/News/PR/2025/Nevada%5FAttorney%5FGeneral%5FAaron%5FD%5F%5FFord%5FJoins%5FMulti-State%5FPSA%5FCampaign%5Fto%5FCombat%5FGift%5FCard%5FFraud/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Nevada analysis ](#article-section-nevada) Charge, investigation or individual incident ### New Hampshire The DOJ and HSI sought to identify victims of an Apple gift card scheme involving conduct from October 1, 2023 through September 1, 2025\. The announcement is not a conviction. The stated response deadline, May 15, 2026, had already passed by the date of this article. Mechanism: Fraud involving Apple gift cards. Documented status: Investigation / victim identification. Source date: March 16, 2026\. Amount and its meaning: Loss not specified. State connection: Action by New Hampshire authorities; potentially nationwide victims. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of New Hampshire: Victim Identification in Gift Card Fraud Scheme (March 16, 2026) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/public-service-alert-victim-identification-gift-card-fraud-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full New Hampshire analysis ](#article-section-new-hampshire) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### New Jersey Nikolay Krechet was found guilty in a case that included obtaining gift cards through stolen payment details. The FBI subsequently published a wanted notice after he left before his sentencing date. The verdict and the FBI notice are distinct records of the case. Mechanism: Gift cards bought with stolen banking details. Documented status: Guilty verdict announced May 4, 2018\. Source date: May 4, 2018\. Amount and its meaning: No total loss figure is used in this entry. State connection: Federal case with victims and transactions connected to New Jersey. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of New Jersey: Connecticut Man Found Guilty in Credit and Gift Card Fraud Scheme (May 4, 2018) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/connecticut-man-found-guilty-wire-fraud-charges-credit-and-gift-card-fraud-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) * [Federal Bureau of Investigation: Nikolay Almazov Krechet — Wanted notice. Accessed September 17, 2026 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wcc/nikolay-almazov-krechet?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full New Jersey analysis ](#article-section-new-jersey) Public warning ### New Mexico The Workers’ Compensation Administration warns about impostors invoking judges, lawyers, or insurance benefits and demanding the purchase of gift cards before a supposed payment. This is a prevention alert, not a judicial finding against an identified individual. Mechanism: Fake compensation / advance fee. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Warning from the workers’ compensation administration. **Read the sources** * [New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration: Scam Alert (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.workerscomp.nm.gov/scam-alert/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full New Mexico analysis ](#article-section-new-mexico) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### New York Jun Wang was sentenced to 70 months in prison for a money laundering conspiracy involving gift cards bought by scam victims across the United States. The Justice Department said he redeemed $2,285,039.81 at Walmart and Sam's Club stores in Florida. The court ordered forfeiture of that amount and $275,634.27 in restitution to identified victims. Some victims lived in the Northern District of New York; the full sum is not a New York-only loss. Mechanism: Laundering value derived from gift cards. Documented status: Sentence: 70 months in federal prison. Source date: July 7, 2026\. Amount and its meaning: $2,285,039.81 redeemed and ordered forfeited; $275,634.27 restitution ordered to identified victims. State connection: Victims included Northern District of New York residents; redemption occurred in Florida. **Read the sources** * [DOJ — sentencing announcement, July 7, 2026 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny/pr/chinese-national-sentenced-prison-money-laundering-conspiracy-involving-22-million?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full New York analysis ](#article-section-new-york) Public warning ### North Carolina The official holiday fraud prevention material includes suspicious payment demands and risks associated with gift cards. It is not treated as a criminal case or a prevalence statistic. The state has a verified warning in the register, not a selected individual case. Mechanism: Seasonal scams / gift card demands. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: State prevention guide. **Read the sources** * [North Carolina Department of Justice: Holiday Scams (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://ncdoj.gov/protecting-consumers/holiday-scams/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full North Carolina analysis ](#article-section-north-carolina) Public warning ### North Dakota The attorney general’s guide describes scams in which victims are asked for money or prepaid products following an apparently legitimate request. It includes impersonation variants and false opportunities. It does not allow a gift card loss amount to be isolated for North Dakota. Mechanism: Fake authorities / jobs / fake checks. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: State prevention material. **Read the sources** * [North Dakota Attorney General: Scam Prevention (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://attorneygeneral.nd.gov/consumer-resources/scam-prevention/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full North Dakota analysis ](#article-section-north-dakota) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Ohio Ming Xue was sentenced in Coshocton County for participating in a counterfeit card scheme. The attorney general’s release documents the sentence of four to six years. The number of counts is not used as a count of victims or independent incidents. Mechanism: Counterfeit gift card conspiracy. Documented status: Sentence: four to six years. Source date: May 22, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Actual loss not specified. State connection: Case in Coshocton County. **Read the sources** * [Ohio Attorney General: Sentencing in Coshocton County Gift Card Case (May 22, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/May-2024/AG-Yost-Announces-Sentencing-in-Coshocton-County-G?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Ohio analysis ](#article-section-ohio) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Oklahoma Leonard Ray Foster was sentenced in a large-scale scheme that converted stolen goods into gift card value through fraudulent returns. It is an example of the link between retail theft and card monetization. No assumption is made that every resale platform used in the flow knowingly participated in the crime. Mechanism: Stolen goods → returns → store credit. Documented status: Sentence: 188 months. Source date: May 23, 2018\. Amount and its meaning: The release describes a multimillion-dollar scheme; no statewide total calculated. State connection: Federal case in Oklahoma. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, W.D. Oklahoma: Multi-Million Dollar Gift Card Fraud Leads to More Than Fifteen Years in Prison (May 23, 2018) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/multi-million-dollar-gift-card-fraud-leads-more-fifteen-years-prison?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Oklahoma analysis ](#article-section-oklahoma) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Oregon Maria Lana Gilbert was sentenced after using BLM funds for personal goods and gift cards instead of authorized purchases. The mixed loss of $41,276.33 had been repaid in full by sentencing, according to the DOJ. The case does not concern gift cards exclusively. Mechanism: Abuse of the employer’s rewards program. Documented status: Probation and home detention; restitution paid according to the source. Source date: February 20, 2014\. Amount and its meaning: $41,276.33: mixed loss, repaid according to the release. State connection: BLM office in Salem and purchases in Oregon. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of Oregon: Ex-BLM Employee Sentenced for Theft of Government Funds (February 20, 2014) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/ex-blm-employee-sentenced-theft-government-funds?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Oregon analysis ](#article-section-oregon) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Pennsylvania The Justice Department charged Chad Douglas Broudy in 2018 over gift-card over-redemption worth approximately $320,582\. The Philadelphia Inquirer subsequently reported that he pleaded guilty and received a one-day prison sentence and four months of house arrest in September 2019\. It reported $319,739 in restitution, paid before sentencing according to his lawyer. The charging amount and restitution figure are different measures. Mechanism: Redemption beyond the balance / software error. Documented status: Guilty plea and sentence reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Source date: September 9, 2019\. Amount and its meaning: $320,582 alleged over-redemption; $319,739 restitution reported at sentencing. State connection: Coatesville resident; Eastern District of Pennsylvania case involving eBay. **Read the sources** * [DOJ — charging announcement, June 5, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/coatesville-man-charged-wire-fraud-gift-card-scam?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) * [The Philadelphia Inquirer — sentencing report, September 9, 2019 (secondary source) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.inquirer.com/business/ebay-gift-card-fraud-chad-broudy-20190909.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Pennsylvania analysis ](#article-section-pennsylvania) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Rhode Island Mattek Scott was sentenced in a retail fraud carried out in at least 11 states, including Rhode Island. The scheme obtained goods and gift cards without actual payment. The approximately $140,000 loss belongs to the merchant in the case and is mixed, not an exclusively card-related total. Mechanism: Activations without actual payment. Documented status: Sentence of time served; three years of supervised release. Source date: January 7, 2026\. Amount and its meaning: Approximately $140,000: mixed merchant loss. State connection: Rhode Island merchant; multistate conduct. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of Rhode Island: Michigan Man Sentenced in Multi-State Retail Crime Theft Scheme (January 7, 2026) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ri/pr/michigan-man-sentenced-multi-state-retail-crime-theft-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Rhode Island analysis ](#article-section-rhode-island) Charge, investigation or individual incident ### South Carolina The Beaufort County Sheriff reported the case of a Hilton Head woman deceived through a fake Amazon problem and supposed CIA intervention. Reported losses were $30,000 in gift cards and $100,000 in cash. Only the first component is a gift card loss. Mechanism: Fake merchant and authority. Documented status: Police-reported incident; no conviction indicated. Source date: July 14, 2022\. Amount and its meaning: $30,000: gift cards; separately, $100,000: cash. State connection: Victim from Hilton Head Island. **Read the sources** * [Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office: Hilton Head Island Woman Loses More Than $100,000 in Scam (July 14, 2022) (opens in a new tab)](https://bcso.net/hilton-head-island-woman-loses-more-than-100000-in-scam/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full South Carolina analysis ](#article-section-south-carolina) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### South Dakota Kayla Ottmo, a former postal employee, received two years of probation for mail theft that included gift cards. The $315 restitution concerns the property in the case; it is not automatically treated as the value of gift cards alone. The conduct occurred in 2018. Mechanism: Mail theft. Documented status: Sentence imposed on February 24, 2020\. Source date: February 29, 2020\. Amount and its meaning: $315: restitution for the property in the case. State connection: Postal activity in South Dakota. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of South Dakota: Pukwana Woman Sentenced for Theft of Mail by Postal Service Employee (February 29, 2020) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/pukwana-woman-sentenced-theft-mail-postal-service-employee?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full South Dakota analysis ](#article-section-south-dakota) Public warning ### Tennessee In the warning issued after the winter storms, the attorney general described impostors exploiting utility problems and demanding unusual payments, including gift cards. This is not a criminal judgment and does not quantify card-related losses in Tennessee. Mechanism: Fake utility providers after storms. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: January 22, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Warning following winter storms. **Read the sources** * [Tennessee Attorney General: Winter Storm Scam Prevention Tips (January 22, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2024/1/22/pr24-07-tennessee-attorney-general-s-office-issues-winter-storm-scam-prevention-tips.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Tennessee analysis ](#article-section-tennessee) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Texas Jason Tout-Puissant and Syed Ali received sentences of 60 and 37 months, respectively, for an Apple gift card scheme. The case links unauthorized issuance to a store in Southlake. The value of more than $1.5 million described by the DOJ should not be confused with individual restitution. Mechanism: Compromised commercial system / fraudulent issuance. Documented status: Documented sentences: 60 and 37 months. Source date: April 4, 2022\. Amount and its meaning: More than $1.5 million: value of the described scheme. State connection: Unauthorized issuance in Southlake; redemptions also in another state. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, N.D. Texas: Two Men Sentenced to Combined 8 Years for $1.5 Million Apple Gift Card Scheme (April 4, 2022) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/two-men-sentenced-combined-8-years-15-million-apple-gift-card-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Texas analysis ](#article-section-texas) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Utah Chaohui Chen and Wenyi Zheng were sentenced for participating in a scheme that obtained cards from victims of impostors. Each was ordered to pay $217,200 in restitution for the same scheme. Repeating the obligation for two defendants does not turn the loss into $434,400. Mechanism: Fake SSA / cashing in gift cards. Documented status: Sentences: 21 and 36 months. Source date: March 20, 2023\. Amount and its meaning: $217,200: the same reference loss, not doubled. State connection: Federal case in Utah; victims in multiple locations. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, District of Utah: Defendants Sentenced in $217,200 Gift Card Conspiracy (March 20, 2023) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/defendants-sentenced-217200-gift-card-conspiracy-and-wire-fraud-scheme-cheated-victims?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Utah analysis ](#article-section-utah) Public warning ### Vermont In its material on scams reported in 2023, the authority also described reward or credit messages that may use gift cards as bait. The overall number of reports about all scams is not used here as a gift card fraud statistic. Mechanism: Fictitious rewards / phishing. Documented status: Annual report / official warning. Source date: January 11, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: No separate gift card total used. State connection: State prevention report. **Read the sources** * [Vermont Attorney General: Top 10 Scams of 2023 (January 11, 2024) (opens in a new tab)](https://ago.vermont.gov/blog/2024/01/11/attorney-general-clark-releases-top-10-scams-2023?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Vermont analysis ](#article-section-vermont) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Virginia The Caffe Aficionado case in Arlington linked stolen bank card details to American Express gift cards and transactions through the business involved. Adiam Berhane received ten years in prison in March 2023\. This is a mixed financial fraud case involving gift cards usable across a payment network. Mechanism: Open-loop gift cards / complicit merchant. Documented status: Documented sentences; Adiam Berhane: ten years. Source date: April 5, 2023\. Amount and its meaning: The total financial fraud is not attributed entirely to gift cards. State connection: Coffee shop and transactions in Arlington. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, E.D. Virginia: Final Defendant Sentenced in Credit Card Fraud Scheme Involving Arlington Coffee Shop (April 5, 2023) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/final-defendant-sentenced-million-dollar-credit-card-fraud-scheme-involving-arlington?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Virginia analysis ](#article-section-virginia) Guilty finding, plea or sentence ### Washington Jeffery Douglas Mann was sentenced for leading a network that stole more than $700,000 from Target and its customers. The case describes compromise of gift card numbers without possession of the physical cards. The amount concerns the network’s activity in several western states, not Washington alone. Mechanism: Digital compromise of card numbers. Documented status: Sentence: five years. Source date: July 8, 2019\. Amount and its meaning: More than $700,000: loss from the multistate network. State connection: Federal case in Washington; operations in the western United States. **Read the sources** * [DOJ, W.D. Washington: Leader of Gift Card Fraud Ring Sentenced to 5 Years (July 8, 2019) (opens in a new tab)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/leader-gift-card-fraud-ring-stole-more-700000-target-and-customers-sentenced-5-years?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Washington analysis ](#article-section-washington) Public warning ### West Virginia The official warnings page describes demands for money to unlock prizes, including requests for gift cards. This source does not establish an individual court case or a statewide fraud rate. The warning label does not mean that actual cases are absent. Mechanism: Fake prize / advance fees. Documented status: Official warning. Source date: Not stated. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Official prevention guide. **Read the sources** * [West Virginia Attorney General: Scam Warning (Not stated) (opens in a new tab)](https://ago.wv.gov/page/scam-warning?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full West Virginia analysis ](#article-section-west-virginia) Public warning ### Wisconsin DATCP warned about drained cards and explained risks from physical compromise and abusive digital balance checking. The source is an alert about a reported phenomenon, not a case with an identified defendant. Under the methodology, it remains in the warnings category. Mechanism: Physical and digital draining. Documented status: Official alert about reports of drained cards. Source date: November 14, 2022\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Wisconsin consumer protection alert. **Read the sources** * [Wisconsin DATCP: Consumer Alert: Gift Cards (November 14, 2022) (opens in a new tab)](https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/News%5FMedia/ConsumerAlert2022-11-14%5FGiftCards.aspx?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Wisconsin analysis ](#article-section-wisconsin) Public warning ### Wyoming The Wyoming Judicial Branch warned that impostors were invoking missed jury service and threatening arrest unless residents paid immediately, including with gift cards. Its October 2024 notice said the courts do not demand telephone payments for missed jury service. This is an official statewide warning, not a documented conviction or a measure of gift card fraud incidence. Mechanism: Purported jury-duty fine. Documented status: Official warning from the Wyoming Judicial Branch. Source date: October 25, 2024\. Amount and its meaning: Not quantified. State connection: Wyoming Judicial Branch warning addressed to state residents. **Read the sources** * [Wyoming Judicial Branch — jury-duty scam warning, October 25, 2024 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.courts.state.wy.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/News-Release-Wyoming-Judicial-Branch-Warns-Against-Jury-Duty-Scams.pdf?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) [Full Wyoming analysis ](#article-section-wyoming) * **Guilty finding, plea or sentence** The selected source documents a guilty verdict, guilty plea or sentence. These are different procedural stages; see each state entry. 23 * **Charge, investigation or individual incident** The selected record describes allegations, an investigation or an individual incident. Charges are not findings of guilt. 5 * **Public warning** The selected record is a public warning, without an individual case in this register. This does not mean fraud is absent or less prevalent. 22 One selected record per state: an editorial evidence register, not a census of offences, a fraud-rate comparison or a ranking of safety. The geographic connection may be conduct, a victim, an investigation or court proceedings. Scheme-wide amounts must not be assigned wholly to one state. Warnings carry no implication that a named person committed a crime. Source dates and procedural stages differ; convictions, charges, allegations and civil settlements are kept separate. Pennsylvania’s later sentencing outcome is attributed to The Philadelphia Inquirer alongside the original Justice Department announcement. Geography: [US Atlas](https://github.com/topojson/us-atlas?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news), derived from U.S. Census Bureau boundaries. [Geometry license](https://github.com/topojson/us-atlas/blob/master/LICENSE?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news). **In this report** 1. [There is no single form of gift card fraud](#article-section-there-is-no-single-form-of-gift-card-fraud) 2. [What the national data show](#article-section-what-the-national-data-show) 3. [The map: what is documented in each state](#article-section-the-map-what-is-documented-in-each-state) 4. [The victim is persuaded to buy or transfer the value](#article-section-the-victim-is-persuaded-to-buy-or-transfer-the-value) 5. [The card, code, or account is compromised](#article-section-the-card-code-or-account-is-compromised) 6. [Fraud passes through the merchant’s processes](#article-section-fraud-passes-through-the-merchant-s-processes) 7. [Chargebacks: fraud can also lie in the evidence or the metrics](#article-section-chargebacks-fraud-can-also-lie-in-the-evidence-or-the-metrics) 8. [Who loses, and why the amounts cannot simply be added together](#article-section-who-loses-and-why-the-amounts-cannot-simply-be-added-together) 9. [What can be done: controls tied to the mechanism, not the label](#article-section-what-can-be-done-controls-tied-to-the-mechanism-not-the-label) 10. [Recovering the money: sometimes possible, never to be promised](#article-section-recovering-the-money-sometimes-possible-never-to-be-promised) 11. [Atlas of the 50 states](#article-section-atlas-of-the-50-states) 12. [Follow the value, check the identity, reconcile the records](#article-section-follow-the-value-check-the-identity-reconcile-the-records) 13. [How this investigation was assembled](#article-section-how-this-investigation-was-assembled) 5 figures * [F01\. Gift card fraud: the evidence across 50 states](#article-figure-f01) * [F02\. Reports peaked in 2021, then declined](#article-figure-f02) * [F03\. Lower than the peak, far above 2018](#article-figure-f03) * [F04\. The recent quarterly pattern](#article-figure-f04) * [F05\. Where reported losses went in Q2 2026](#article-figure-f05) 6 tables * [T01\. Three different routes to a gift card loss](#article-table-t01) * [T02\. The annual figures behind the charts](#article-table-t02) * [T03\. What the map’s three evidence categories mean](#article-table-t03) * [T04\. Similar-looking figures can measure different things](#article-table-t04) * [T05\. Put the control where the value changes hands](#article-table-t05) * [T06\. The 50-state evidence index](#article-table-t06) [Download data (CSV)](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/data.csv) Chart values, table cells, source references and the report revision date. ## There is no single form of gift card fraud A customer buys a gift card and hands the code to someone pretending to be their boss. Another buys a sealed card, keeps the receipt and discovers that the balance has already disappeared. An employee with legitimate access issues cards for their own benefit. All three can be called gift card fraud, but the money takes a different route in each. U.S. cases show why that difference matters: the person who loses, the evidence needed and the point at which someone could intervene are not the same. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) [\[S64\]](#article-source-64) [\[S31\]](#article-source-31) In 2024, the [Federal Trade Commission](https://giftcard.news/organization/federal-trade-commission/)’s Consumer Sentinel Network recorded 41,120 fraud reports naming “Gift Card or Reload Card” as the payment method, associated with $212 million in reported losses. Only 18% of all fraud reports provided a payment method. The category includes reload cards, and the figures describe reports, not convictions or the full scale of gift card fraud. This is the annual benchmark; newer quarterly figures appear separately below. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) A store gift card, a network-branded prepaid card and credit issued after a return can all carry value through a scheme. They are different products, however, and the distinction matters when interpreting a case. Cases involving mixed instruments are labeled in the atlas. EBT benefits fraud is not included. Nor is the legitimate non-use of a card—breakage—automatically classified as fraud. The question here is how someone illegitimately obtained or used the value. An unspent balance alone does not answer it. [\[S58\]](#article-source-58) [\[S67\]](#article-source-67) > Scope: United States only. The article examines 32 fraud patterns and variants; it does not claim to provide a closed list of every conceivable fraud. Cases involving perpetrators outside the United States are included only in relation to U.S. conduct, victims, or proceedings. Editorial cutoff: September 17, 2026. ### T01\. Three different routes to a gift card loss Scroll left or right to see all columns __T01\. Three different routes to a gift card loss__ | Route | What happens to the value | The question that matters | Illustrative evidence | | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | A victim is persuaded to transfer it | A genuine card funds an impostor’s request | Was the recipient’s identity independently checked? | FTC consumer guidance and the Maryland redemption case. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) [\[S41\]](#article-source-41) | | A card or account is compromised | Someone else accesses value without the holder’s authority | Were the card details, account and redemption protected? | FTC card-tampering guidance and the [Dunkin’](https://giftcard.news/company/dunkin/) civil settlement. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) [\[S10\]](#article-source-10) | | A merchant process is abused | Value is created, funded, accepted or refunded illegitimately | Do permission, payment and ledger records agree? | The [Apple](https://giftcard.news/company/apple/) issuance case and [Home Depot](https://giftcard.news/company/the-home-depot/) insider case. [\[S64\]](#article-source-64) [\[S31\]](#article-source-31) | These routes explain control points. They are not mutually exclusive statistical categories: one scheme can cross more than one. ## What the national data show [Statista](https://giftcard.news/company/statista/)’s annual series, drawn from the Federal Trade Commission, adds an important perspective: recorded reports in 2024 were close to their 2018 level, while reported dollar losses were much higher. The report count reached 64,638 in 2021 before falling to 41,120 in 2024\. This describes the reports received; it does not establish why the count changed. [\[S74\]](#article-source-74) The data behind the story ### F02\. Reports peaked in 2021, then declined United States, 2018–2024\. Fraud reports naming gift cards or reload cards as the payment method. Fraud reports reports Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. **Sources:** [\[S74\]](#article-source-74); [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) Statista presentation of FTC data. Reports are not necessarily unique victims, convictions or all incidents. The category includes reload cards. Changing reporting patterns can affect the series; a decline does not by itself establish improved safety. Explore the data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __F02\. Reports peaked in 2021, then declined (reports)__ | Category | Fraud reports | | -------- | -------------- | | 2018 | 41,046 reports | | 2019 | 38,401 reports | | 2020 | 43,242 reports | | 2021 | 64,638 reports | | 2022 | 48,800 reports | | 2023 | 41,632 reports | | 2024 | 41,120 reports | Reported losses rose from $78 million in 2018 to $212 million in 2024, below the $233 million recorded for 2021\. The dollar series is nominal and rounded to millions. It is not an estimate of all unreported fraud, and dividing it by the report count would not reveal what a typical victim lost. [\[S75\]](#article-source-75) The data behind the story ### F03\. Lower than the peak, far above 2018 Reported losses involving gift cards or reload cards, United States, 2018–2024. Reported loss USD million Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. **Sources:** [\[S75\]](#article-source-75); [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) Nominal dollars, rounded to millions in the source. FTC counts losses reported between $1 and $999,999\. This is neither an inflation-adjusted series nor a measure of every loss involving gift cards. Explore the data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __F03\. Lower than the peak, far above 2018 (USD million)__ | Category | Reported loss | | -------- | --------------- | | 2018 | 78 USD million | | 2019 | 103 USD million | | 2020 | 124 USD million | | 2021 | 233 USD million | | 2022 | 228 USD million | | 2023 | 217 USD million | | 2024 | 212 USD million | ### T02\. The annual figures behind the charts Scroll left or right to see all columns __T02\. The annual figures behind the charts__ | Year | Fraud reports | Reported loss, USD million | | ---- | ------------- | -------------------------- | | 2018 | 41,046 | 78 | | 2019 | 38,401 | 103 | | 2020 | 43,242 | 124 | | 2021 | 64,638 | 233 | | 2022 | 48,800 | 228 | | 2023 | 41,632 | 217 | | 2024 | 41,120 | 212 | Source: FTC data presented by Statista. Counts and loss amounts have different qualifications; the loss threshold must not be used to relabel the report count as “victims who lost money.” [\[S74\]](#article-source-74) [\[S75\]](#article-source-75) [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ### The newer quarterly picture The newer Statista series reports $79.1 million in gift-card or reload-card losses in the first quarter of 2026 and $75 million in the second. It uses an August 2026 snapshot of the FTC dashboard. Those are quarterly observations, not a full-year forecast; the dashboard and annual book are different data vintages. [\[S76\]](#article-source-76) [\[S77\]](#article-source-77) The data behind the story ### F04\. The recent quarterly pattern Gift-card or reload-card losses, United States. Selected quarters from Statista’s August 2026 release. Reported loss USD million Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. **Sources:** [\[S76\]](#article-source-76); [\[S77\]](#article-source-77) Reported losses between $1 and $999,999\. Quarterly data can be revised. Do not splice this snapshot into the annual series or extrapolate the first half of 2026 into a full-year estimate. Explore the data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __F04\. The recent quarterly pattern (USD million)__ | Category | Reported loss | | -------- | ----------------- | | Q1 2024 | 54.34 USD million | | Q2 2024 | 45.27 USD million | | Q3 2024 | 59.38 USD million | | Q4 2024 | 53.60 USD million | | Q1 2025 | 54.10 USD million | | Q2 2025 | 64.40 USD million | | Q3 2025 | 80.40 USD million | | Q4 2025 | 35.40 USD million | | Q1 2026 | 79.10 USD million | | Q2 2026 | 75.00 USD million | ### A payment method is not a fraud rate In the same quarter, bank transfers or payments accounted for $547.4 million in reported losses. The comparison puts gift cards in the wider payment landscape. It does not measure how safe a method is: the dataset supplies no transaction-volume denominator. [\[S76\]](#article-source-76) The data behind the story ### F05\. Where reported losses went in Q2 2026 United States, by reported payment method. Reported loss USD million Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. **Sources:** [\[S76\]](#article-source-76); [\[S77\]](#article-source-77) Absolute reported amounts, not fraud rates or a ranking of product safety. The same FTC loss filter applies. These are payment-method categories, not the 32 mechanisms examined below. Explore the data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __F05\. Where reported losses went in Q2 2026 (USD million)__ | Category | Reported loss | | ------------------------ | ----------------- | | Bank transfer or payment | 547.4 USD million | | Cryptocurrency | 297.6 USD million | | Payment app or service | 108.6 USD million | | Credit cards | 90.4 USD million | | Cash | 89.6 USD million | | Wire transfer | 75.3 USD million | | Gift card or reload card | 75.0 USD million | | Check | 62.6 USD million | | Debit card | 57.6 USD million | | Money order | 8.9 USD million | ## The map: what is documented in each state The map covers 50 entries: 23 states have a reference involving a guilty plea, verdict or sentence; five have charges, investigations or an individually reported incident; and 22 have public warnings, with no individual case selected. These are the results of the editorial selection below. They do not represent the actual number of states in which each phenomenon occurs, and they are not a ranking of risk. The criminal-outcome category records a guilty plea, verdict or sentence in a dated source, not necessarily a final judgment after all appeals. Charges, investigations and reported incidents do not establish a person’s guilt; that category also includes accounts of victims without an identified suspect. The public-warning category describes the kind of evidence selected, not an absence of fraud. A dated charge records an allegation at that point in time; it is not a claim that the case is still pending today. Each state has one selected entry, supported where appropriate by a subsequent report. The connection may be the location of the conduct, the victim, the enforcement action, or the federal case. A multistate loss is not attributed entirely to the state where the trial took place. Select a state to see its dated evidence, the kind of scheme described, the meaning of any amount and the full atlas entry. The map identifies states, not victims’ addresses. Alaska and Hawaii appear as insets. Every state entry includes an official source. Pennsylvania’s subsequent sentencing outcome is also supported by contemporary reporting from [The Philadelphia Inquirer](https://giftcard.news/company/the-philadelphia-inquirer/) and is attributed accordingly. The map uses [US Atlas](https://giftcard.news/organization/us-atlas/) outlines derived from [U.S. Census Bureau](https://giftcard.news/organization/u-s-census-bureau/) boundaries. [\[S73\]](#article-source-73) [\[S71\]](#article-source-71) [\[S21\]](#article-source-21) ### T03\. What the map’s three evidence categories mean Scroll left or right to see all columns __T03\. What the map’s three evidence categories mean__ | Selected evidence | States | What the category establishes | What it does not establish | | -------------------------------------------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | 23 | The dated source records a criminal outcome | A final outcome after every possible appeal, or the state’s fraud rate | | Charge, investigation or individual incident | 5 | An allegation, investigation or specific incident is documented | Guilt, a current pending case or a statewide total | | Public warning | 22 | A public authority warned about a relevant mechanism | An absence of cases or a lower level of risk | One principal record is selected per state. These counts describe this article’s evidence register, not the distribution of fraud across the country. ## The victim is persuaded to buy or transfer the value In this family of scams, the card may work exactly as designed. The problem is the false reason for which the buyer transfers the value. Authenticating the purchase payment does not, on its own, establish that the underlying request was legitimate. This distinction is illustrated, for example, by the impersonation and card-redemption cases described in Maryland and Utah. [\[S41\]](#article-source-41) [\[S65\]](#article-source-65) ### 01\. Fabricated authorities, taxes, warrants, and fines The impostor invokes a tax debt, a [Social Security](https://giftcard.news/organization/social-security-administration/) problem, or a supposed court-related obligation. The victim is led to believe that buying and sending gift cards will stop the penalty. The [Internal Revenue Service](https://giftcard.news/organization/internal-revenue-service/) states that it neither requests nor accepts gift cards as payment for taxes. The Idaho and Wyoming warnings describe the variant involving failure to appear for jury duty. Independent contact with the institution is what matters in verification—not the number displayed on caller ID. [\[S05\]](#article-source-5) [\[S33\]](#article-source-33) [\[S71\]](#article-source-71) ### 02\. Utilities and services supposedly facing disconnection The pretext is an overdue bill or immediate disconnection. The gift card demand is presented as a quick solution before the victim checks the actual account. Tennessee warned about this kind of pressure in the context of the January 2024 winter storms. A real incident—a power outage or a delay—may make the story credible, but it does not make the recipient of the codes the utility provider. [\[S63\]](#article-source-63) ### 03\. Family emergencies and fake calls from relatives Someone claims that a relative has been in an accident, has been detained, or urgently needs money. Gift cards become the requested means of assistance. The Nebraska warning documents this family of scenarios. The practical rule proposed here is verification through a previously known channel: call the relative or someone close to them rather than relying exclusively on the contact details supplied in the alarming message. [\[S48\]](#article-source-48) ### 04\. Romance scams and celebrity impersonation An apparently personal relationship provides the justification for successive requests involving purchases, travel, emergencies, or privileged access. In the fake-celebrity variant, the victim believes they are speaking with a public figure. The official Tennessee warning and the federal appeal to identify victims in New Hampshire document these contexts. The element relevant to gift card fraud is the transfer of codes to an unverified identity, not merely the existence of an online conversation. [\[S18\]](#article-source-18) [\[S50\]](#article-source-50) ### 05\. The boss or colleague who urgently needs cards A message imitates the style of someone with authority within an organization and asks for cards for employees, customers, or an event. In January 2026, the FTC warned about wording that even presents the request as a purchase of “[Google](https://giftcard.news/company/google/) certificates.” Verification must take place outside the suspicious message thread. As an organizational control, a gift order should not be authorized merely because a message reproduces a manager’s name or signature. [\[S04\]](#article-source-4) ### 06\. Fake technical support The victim receives a warning about a computer or account and ends up speaking with a supposed technician. The technician demands payment in gift cards to fix an invented problem. The [Yong Chen](https://giftcard.news/person/yong-chen/) case in Maryland illustrates the connection between such pretexts and the people who redeem cards obtained from victims. The person cashing in the value does not have to be the same person who conducted the initial conversation. [\[S41\]](#article-source-41) ### 07\. Fictitious refunds and alleged overpayments Victims are told they have received too much money and must return the difference using gift cards. The story may be attached to a fake support or refund process. What needs to be verified is whether funds were actually received, directly with the financial institution—not a claim or image presented by the other party. This variant appears in FTC descriptions and in the Maryland case. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) [\[S41\]](#article-source-41) ### 08\. Job offers, mystery shopping, and fake checks A supposed job opportunity requires buying gift cards with money apparently advanced by the employer. The victim sends the codes before discovering that the instrument received does not legitimately fund the payment. North Dakota and [Office of the Comptroller of the Currency](https://giftcard.news/organization/office-of-the-comptroller-of-the-currency/) guidance document these scams involving job offers and advance payments. A visual confirmation or an amount temporarily displayed does not replace independent verification of the financial position. [\[S55\]](#article-source-55) [\[S06\]](#article-source-6) ### 09\. A prize, inheritance, or benefit that first requires a fee The card is demanded as payment of a fee that would release winnings, compensation, or a benefit. New Mexico’s workers’ compensation authority warns about impostors who also use professional identities from the legal system. West Virginia describes the fake-prize variant. The difference from buying a genuine gift is that value is transferred to unlock an unverified promise. [\[S52\]](#article-source-52) [\[S69\]](#article-source-69) ### 10\. Online purchases and fake escrow protection A seller claims that the purchase of a car or another item is protected by a well-known platform but asks the buyer to send gift card codes. The [Minnesota Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/minnesota-attorney-general/)’s guidance describes the use of a fake escrow arrangement. A logo or an email invoking buyer protection does not establish that the transaction exists in the named platform’s system. [\[S17\]](#article-source-17) ### 11\. Donations and fake religious or community identities The request exploits trust in an organization, a religious leader, or an urgent cause. The cards are presented as assistance for vulnerable people, while the codes are sent to an impostor. Michigan’s warning about gift card scams includes charitable pretexts and other false identities. As a control rule, a donation should be verified using independently obtained organizational contact details, not by replying directly to an unsolicited request. [\[S19\]](#article-source-19) ### 12\. Blackmail and sextortion Value is demanded under a threat to publish intimate or compromising material, whether real or purported. The [DOJ](https://giftcard.news/organization/u-s-department-of-justice/)’s New Hampshire appeal for victims of Apple gift card fraud also lists sextortion among the relevant situations. This documents the use of cards in such contexts; it does not provide a separate national statistic or establish that every such threat is linked to the same network. [\[S50\]](#article-source-50) ### 13\. The “recovery agent” who demands another payment After the initial loss, the victim is approached by someone promising to recover the money, claiming to represent an authority, or invoking legal services. A new fee is demanded, sometimes through another payment method that is difficult to reverse. Pennsylvania warns about recovery scams. Knowing details of the first fraud does not establish the caller’s legitimacy; the article recommends independent verification before any additional payment. [\[S09\]](#article-source-9) ## The card, code, or account is compromised In the second family, the holder does not have to cooperate with an impostor. A card can be bought legitimately and still reach the recipient with no balance. The essential distinction is between theft of data before activation, diversion of the load, and digital compromise of an account or balance system. Federal Trade Commission, [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://giftcard.news/organization/federal-bureau-of-investigation/) and Wisconsin warnings document these different areas of risk. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) [\[S07\]](#article-source-7) [\[S70\]](#article-source-70) ### 14\. Card draining after physical tampering The access details of a card offered for sale are compromised before a legitimate buyer loads it. Someone else can then spend the value. In this variant, the buyer may still possess both the card and the receipt. The FTC recommends inspecting packaging and retaining documentation, but a visual inspection is not a technical guarantee. Arizona and Kentucky provide criminal case references for operations involving compromised physical cards. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) [\[S24\]](#article-source-24) [\[S38\]](#article-source-38) ### 15\. Activation diverted through a fake barcode The FBI has warned about counterfeit barcodes that can direct loaded value to an instrument other than the one the buyer believes they are purchasing. The distinction from draining is important: here, the problem may occur when value is loaded, not only after the money has reached the correct card. The issuer and merchant must be able to correlate the instrument sold, the activation, and the transaction record. [\[S07\]](#article-source-7) ### 16\. Theft from the mail or the destruction chain Cards may be stolen before reaching the recipient or from batches that an organization believes no longer represent value. South Dakota has a case involving mail theft by a postal employee. A Virginia case documented cards taken from a stream intended for destruction. For internal control purposes, a transport or destruction contract does not replace value reconciliation and confirmation that the instruments have been deactivated. [\[S62\]](#article-source-62) [\[S16\]](#article-source-16) ### 17\. Fake balance-checking websites The holder searches for a way to check a balance and enters valid card details into a page that merely imitates the legitimate service. [AARP Virginia](https://giftcard.news/organization/aarp/) has warned about this form of code harvesting. The attack differs from a payment requested over the phone: victims believe they are checking their own property. The issuer’s official address, accessed independently, is a safer reference than a search result or advertisement using its name. [\[S08\]](#article-source-8) ### 18\. Fake digital rewards and gift card phishing A message announces a free card or reward and asks for a form to be completed, identifying information, or a payment. In this situation, the card may not exist at all: it is the bait, while the actual objective is information or another sum of money. Minnesota, Arkansas, and Vermont describe such offers. These reports should not automatically be added to losses involving cards that were actually issued and drained. [\[S44\]](#article-source-44) [\[S25\]](#article-source-25) [\[S66\]](#article-source-66) ### 19\. Taking over the account that holds the value—account takeover The attacker accesses a customer account and uses its associated value. In the Dunkin’ case, the New York authority described unauthorized access using reused login credentials, followed by the use or resale of card value. The September 2020 civil settlement required security measures and refunds for eligible customers. The announced $650,000 represented penalties and costs, not the total stolen balances. This was a civil settlement, not a criminal conviction. [\[S10\]](#article-source-10) ### 20\. Digital compromise of card numbers and abusive balance queries Some cases involve neither theft of the plastic card nor persuading its holder to disclose the code. In Washington, [Jeffery Douglas Mann](https://giftcard.news/person/jeffery-douglas-mann/) was sentenced for a network that illegitimately obtained card value by compromising card numbers. Wisconsin has also warned about abusive digital balance queries. Controls must treat the balance-checking and redemption services as security-sensitive interfaces, not merely informational pages. [\[S68\]](#article-source-68) [\[S70\]](#article-source-70) ### 21\. Redemption beyond the balance through a system error A balance ledger that allows excess redemption can turn a software fault into a substantial loss. In the Pennsylvania case against [Chad Douglas Broudy](https://giftcard.news/person/chad-douglas-broudy/), prosecutors alleged approximately $320,582 in excess gift-card redemptions. The Philadelphia Inquirer later reported his guilty plea and September 2019 sentence. The merchant lesson is balance integrity and reconciliation: a displayed balance and an approved transaction must agree. [\[S59\]](#article-source-59) [\[S73\]](#article-source-73) ## Fraud passes through the merchant’s processes ### 22\. Buying the card with stolen payment details The gift card is purchased with a compromised banking instrument, then its value is spent or transferred before the funding problem is resolved. The [Krechet](https://giftcard.news/person/nikolay-almazov-krechet/) case in New Jersey documents this link between stolen payment details and gift cards. For the merchant, an electronically delivered order may generate two different records: value spent within the gift card program and a dispute over the original source of funds. [\[S51\]](#article-source-51) ### 23\. Obtaining activation without an actual payment The buyer causes a sale to be completed even though the merchant has not received payment. The [Mattek Scott](https://giftcard.news/person/mattek-scott/) case, resolved in Rhode Island in January 2026, included goods and prepaid cards obtained in this way. The control is straightforward in principle: match activation to evidence that payment actually arrived. A checkout screen saying “complete” is not enough on its own. [\[S60\]](#article-source-60) ### 24\. The issuance system or an employee’s identity is compromised Fraud may attack the right to create or load value, not merely the right to pay. The Apple case in Texas involved unauthorized issuance through compromised commercial infrastructure; in Missouri, unlawfully obtained employee identifiers were used. These are two different routes to the same control problem: an apparently authorized system may record an operation that is not backed by a legitimate merchant decision. [\[S64\]](#article-source-64) [\[S46\]](#article-source-46) ### 25\. An authorized employee issues value for personal benefit An insider may have genuine access but use it for orders or activations with no legitimate business purpose. In the Home Depot case in Georgia, discrepancies in gift card records led to discovery of the fraud. The sentence published in February 2026 shows why controls cannot stop at authentication: an authenticated person can abuse the permissions they have been granted. [\[S31\]](#article-source-31) ### 26\. Personal purchases disguised as organizational expenses Gift cards are bought lawfully from the issuer but paid for with an organization’s money on the basis of false justifications. The [Michael Meenan](https://giftcard.news/person/michael-meenan/) case in Indiana and the [Maria Lana Gilbert](https://giftcard.news/person/maria-lana-gilbert/) case in Oregon include this misuse. The risk is distinct from compromise of the purchased card: the funding or approval of the purchase is illegitimate. In both entries, the totals also include goods other than gift cards, so they are not presented as losses exclusively within card programs. [\[S35\]](#article-source-35) [\[S58\]](#article-source-58) ### 27\. False returns turn goods into store credit Stolen products or illegitimate returns can generate cash, store credit, or gift cards. Cases in Connecticut, California, and Oklahoma illustrate variations of this route. The control indicator is not simply that a card was issued on return, but the consistency between the original purchase, the returned item, the person requesting the refund, and the value granted. Legitimate returns must not be confused with these frauds. [\[S28\]](#article-source-28) [\[S26\]](#article-source-26) [\[S57\]](#article-source-57) ### 28\. Resale and brokering of stolen value Intermediaries may exist between the person who obtains the code and the person who spends the balance. The [Richard Verret](https://giftcard.news/person/richard-verret/) case, prosecuted in Louisiana, documented an illicit online marketplace for gift card data. The risk to the buyer is provenance: the existence of a working code at a particular moment does not establish that the seller has the right to sell it. Nor does discounted resale, by itself, prove a crime. [\[S39\]](#article-source-39) ### 29\. Value is routed through a merchant involved in the scheme The card may become an intermediate step between a stolen banking instrument and a business’s receipts. The [Caffe Aficionado](https://giftcard.news/company/caffe-aficionado/) case in Virginia linked such transactions to [American Express](https://giftcard.news/company/american-express/) gift cards. The open-loop label matters: this is not only about a balance restricted to a single store. In mixed cases of this kind, the total amount of banking fraud should not be presented, without separating its components, as an exclusively gift card loss. [\[S67\]](#article-source-67) ## Chargebacks: fraud can also lie in the evidence or the metrics ### 30\. Deliberately false disputes of authorized purchases [Mastercard](https://giftcard.news/company/mastercard/) describes situations in which a buyer intentionally disputes a transaction they authorized in order to obtain an improper benefit. Applied analytically to gift cards, the risk is retaining value already spent while making an unfounded request for a refund of the purchase payment. This is an application of the general mechanism, not a new criminal case attributed to a state. Confusion about a merchant’s name, an unrecognized purchase, and an intentionally false statement are not the same thing: intent cannot be inferred merely from the existence of a dispute. [\[S72\]](#article-source-72) ### 31\. Misleading evidence used against a dispute In April 2023, the FTC and Florida authorities alleged that [Chargebacks911](https://giftcard.news/company/chargebacks911/) supplied misleading evidence to prevent the reversal of transactions disputed by consumers, including images that did not accurately reflect the relevant purchasing process. These are civil allegations attributed to the authorities, not a criminal fraud conviction. The settlement announced in November prohibited deceptive practices in dispute handling. [\[S11\]](#article-source-11) [\[S12\]](#article-source-12) The federal order was entered on November 29, 2023, based on the parties’ agreement and without additional factual findings. The lesson for gift card analysis is to separate two questions: was the card used, and is the evidence relied upon to reject the dispute accurate? A redemption does not automatically validate every merchant claim, and a legitimate chargeback request does not become fraudulent because it disadvantages the merchant. [\[S13\]](#article-source-13) ### 32\. Artificial transactions that dilute the chargeback rate In the U.S. action involving [Apex Capital Group](https://giftcard.news/company/apex-capital-group/) and [Transact Pro](https://giftcard.news/company/transact-pro/), the FTC alleged that small, artificial transactions funded through prepaid cards increased apparent transaction volume to reduce the observed chargeback rate. The January 2020 settlement included a $3.5 million payment obligation and restrictions on processing and merchant monitoring. This is a U.S. civil case; it is not presented as a criminal conviction or a study of another country’s market. [\[S14\]](#article-source-14) [\[S15\]](#article-source-15) The FTC also made allegations of metric manipulation in the Chargebacks911 case. Financial products must not be conflated: the description of that program referred to prepaid debit cards, which does not automatically make every transaction a gift card sale. A lower rate achieved through an artificial denominator does not establish that the number of genuine disputes or the harm to consumers has fallen. [\[S11\]](#article-source-11) [\[S12\]](#article-source-12) > A payment dispute needs honest evidence on both sides. A customer can misuse a chargeback, a merchant can submit misleading evidence, and a processor can distort the statistics. None of those possibilities makes a legitimate dispute fraudulent. ## Who loses, and why the amounts cannot simply be added together A single scheme may affect the consumer who paid for the card, the merchant that supplied goods, the issuer, or an organization whose money funded the purchase. Public documents do not always show how the loss was ultimately allocated among them. The register preserves the nature of each amount: face value, reported loss, potential loss, forfeited proceeds, or court-ordered restitution. Kentucky provides an example of potential exposure, not a demonstrated loss. South Carolina allows $30,000 in gift cards to be distinguished from $100,000 in cash. In Utah, the same $217,200 appears in the obligations of two defendants and must not be counted twice. These are three different reasons why mechanically adding up press releases would produce a misleading figure. [\[S38\]](#article-source-38) [\[S61\]](#article-source-61) [\[S65\]](#article-source-65) Likewise, a restitution obligation does not establish that the victim has already received the money. A number of cards seized by investigators does not automatically represent loaded cards or distinct victims. Without the necessary data, this article calculates neither a total loss across the 50 states nor a fraud rate per resident or per card issued. Those measures would require a comparable dataset with a common period, definitions, and denominators. ### T04\. Similar-looking figures can measure different things Scroll left or right to see all columns __T04\. Similar-looking figures can measure different things__ | Case or dataset | Published figure | What the number measures | Why it cannot be added indiscriminately | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | FTC, United States, 2024 | $212 million; 41,120 reports | Reported fraud losses and reports using “Gift Card or Reload Card” | Includes reload cards; a national reporting series, not a total of court cases. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) | | California / [Michael O’Brien Jr.](https://giftcard.news/person/michael-o-brien-jr/) | About $508,000 | Actual retail fraud loss in a multistate case | Distinct from intended loss exceeding $1 million; not California-only. [\[S26\]](#article-source-26) | | Georgia / Home Depot | $4,085,043; $3,946,776 | Face value of stolen cards; separately ordered restitution | The two amounts describe the same case in different ways. [\[S31\]](#article-source-31) | | Kentucky / [Yongjian You](https://giftcard.news/person/yongjian-you/) | More than $1.1 million | Potential exposure | It is not an established amount already lost by buyers. [\[S38\]](#article-source-38) | | South Carolina / Hilton Head incident | $30,000 in gift cards; $100,000 in cash | Two payment components of a reported victim loss | Only $30,000 is the gift card component. [\[S61\]](#article-source-61) | | Utah / [Chaohui Chen](https://giftcard.news/person/chaohui-chen/) and [Wenyi Zheng](https://giftcard.news/person/wenyi-zheng/) | $217,200 | Restitution ordered for each defendant for the same scheme | Two obligations do not turn one loss into $434,400\. [\[S65\]](#article-source-65) | | New York / Dunkin’ civil settlement | $650,000 | Penalties and costs | It is not a measure of stolen card balances. [\[S10\]](#article-source-10) | | Apex Capital Group / Transact Pro civil settlement | $3.5 million | Settlement payment obligation | Not a gift card consumer-loss estimate or a criminal conviction. [\[S15\]](#article-source-15) | Figures retain the period, product scope and procedural meaning supplied by their sources. Court-ordered restitution is an obligation; it does not by itself establish that victims have been paid. ## What can be done: controls tied to the mechanism, not the label The following measures are editorial recommendations derived from the documented mechanisms, not a list of universal legal obligations or a security certification. For a merchant or app provider, the objective is to identify where value can be created, moved, or spent without a verifiable justification. ### At the display rack and at activation Useful measures include batch inspections, segregating suspicious cards, matching the instrument sold to its activation, and providing a clear reporting route for cards purchased with no balance. Visual inspection must be combined with transaction data; it cannot detect every compromise on its own. Merchants can train staff to recognize pressure being exerted on a buyer without automatically treating every large purchase as fraud. The rationale for these controls follows from the FTC and FBI warnings. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) [\[S07\]](#article-source-7) ### In the application and balance records Recommendations include protecting accounts, detecting unusual access, controlling access to balance services, and reconciling issuance, loading, spending, cancellation, and refunds. Before launch, a provider should be able to demonstrate that repeated or concurrent operations do not create additional value. These are control proposals inspired by account takeover, digital compromise, and alleged over-redemption cases—not claims that a particular application is vulnerable. [\[S10\]](#article-source-10) [\[S68\]](#article-source-68) [\[S59\]](#article-source-59) ### In employee operations and returns Internal order approval, value activation, and accounting reconciliation should have independent checks. Logs must support retrospective analysis of changes, and gift card purchases paid for by an organization should have verifiable recipients and justifications. For returns, analysis must link the credit granted to the original transaction and item. These controls address the risk areas illustrated by the Georgia, Indiana, and Connecticut cases. [\[S31\]](#article-source-31) [\[S35\]](#article-source-35) [\[S28\]](#article-source-28) ### In resale, refunds, and disputes Providers should explain what evidence they retain about the origin of value, how they respond to reports of a stolen code, and what happens to the remaining balance after a dispute. In chargebacks, evidence must describe the actual transaction, and reported metrics must not be contaminated by artificial operations. The FTC civil cases show why the integrity of the evidence and the integrity of the reported dispute rate need separate checks. [\[S15\]](#article-source-15) [\[S13\]](#article-source-13) ### T05\. Put the control where the value changes hands Scroll left or right to see all columns __T05\. Put the control where the value changes hands__ | Point in the process | Main question | Evidence to connect | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Purchase and activation | Did payment activate the intended instrument? | Receipt, card identifier, activation record and confirmed payment. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) [\[S07\]](#article-source-7) | | Account access and redemption | Was access authorized and was enough value available? | Account-access history, balance movements and redemption records. [\[S10\]](#article-source-10) [\[S68\]](#article-source-68) | | Internal issuance and returns | Was value created for an approved purpose? | Approval, employee permissions, underlying order or return, and ledger entry. [\[S31\]](#article-source-31) [\[S35\]](#article-source-35) [\[S28\]](#article-source-28) | | Refunds and disputes | Does the evidence accurately describe the transaction? | Purchase, delivery, redemption and dispute evidence, with authentic transaction counts. [\[S13\]](#article-source-13) [\[S15\]](#article-source-15) | This is an editorial control framework drawn from the cases. It is not a certification or a universal list of legal obligations. ## Recovering the money: sometimes possible, never to be promised The FTC recommends promptly contacting the issuer, keeping the card and receipt, asking whether a refund may be possible, and reporting the fraud. Reporting may be useful even when the incident is not recent. The FBI’s [IC3](https://giftcard.news/organization/internet-crime-complaint-center/) mechanism is also available for online components. Reporting does not guarantee recovery, but neither is the claim that “the money can never be recovered” justified. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) [\[S07\]](#article-source-7) In the incident reported by Hawaii on August 3, 2026, the victim recovered the funds with help from the financial institution. In the Oregon [BLM](https://giftcard.news/organization/bureau-of-land-management/) case, the DOJ stated that restitution had been paid in full by sentencing. These are two different mechanisms, not a promise to other victims. Refunds provided for in an older agreement, such as Dunkin’s 2020 settlement, must not be presented as a program still open today. [\[S32\]](#article-source-32) [\[S58\]](#article-source-58) [\[S10\]](#article-source-10) For a victim, a useful incident file should preserve the chronology, messages, receipts, transaction identifiers, and responses from the issuer and merchant. Full codes should not be published on social media or sent to supposed recovery agents. Paying such an intermediary in advance may cause a second loss. [\[S09\]](#article-source-9) ## Atlas of the 50 states The entries run alphabetically. Each date identifies the source or a specifically stated court event. The account is attributed to that dated document; historical allegations are not presented as findings of guilt or as claims about a case’s current status. For multistate schemes, the amount belongs to the described case, not exclusively to the state in the heading. ### T06\. The 50-state evidence index Scroll left or right to see all columns __T06\. The 50-state evidence index__ | State | Evidence selected | Mechanism in the selected record | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | [Alabama](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-alabama) | Charge, investigation or individual incident | Counterfeit / altered cards | | [Alaska](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-alaska) | Public warning | Impersonation of authorities / merchants | | [Arizona](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-arizona) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Cloning of physical cards | | [Arkansas](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-arkansas) | Public warning | Fake prizes / deceptive resale | | [California](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-california) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Fraudulent returns / repeated monetization | | [Colorado](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-colorado) | Public warning | Fake tax authorities / threats | | [Connecticut](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-connecticut) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | False returns / store credit | | [Delaware](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-delaware) | Public warning | False identities and payment demands | | [Florida](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-florida) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Tampering with cards on display racks | | [Georgia](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-georgia) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Insider fraud / unauthorized issuance | | [Hawaii](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-hawaii) | Charge, investigation or individual incident | Impersonation of the attorney general | | [Idaho](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-idaho) | Public warning | Jury-duty scam | | [Illinois](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-illinois) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Trafficking in counterfeit gift cards | | [Indiana](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-indiana) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Misuse of a company card / personal purchases | | [Iowa](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-iowa) | Public warning | Fraudulent demands for payment by card | | [Kansas](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-kansas) | Public warning | Fake authorities / fictitious relationships | | [Kentucky](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-kentucky) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Altered cards / distribution | | [Louisiana](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-louisiana) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Illegal marketplace for stolen codes | | [Maine](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-maine) | Public warning | Fictitious payment demands / seasonal scams | | [Maryland](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-maryland) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Fake technical support / cashing in codes | | [Massachusetts](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-massachusetts) | Public warning | Impostors / altered cards / fake offers | | [Michigan](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-michigan) | Charge, investigation or individual incident | Tampering with cards on display racks | | [Minnesota](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-minnesota) | Public warning | “Free” gift cards / phishing | | [Mississippi](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-mississippi) | Public warning | Impostors / unusual payment demands | | [Missouri](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-missouri) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Compromised employee identifiers / unauthorized value | | [Montana](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-montana) | Public warning | Fake police officers | | [Nebraska](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-nebraska) | Public warning | Fictitious family emergency | | [Nevada](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-nevada) | Public warning | Gift card fraud / awareness | | [New Hampshire](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-new-hampshire) | Charge, investigation or individual incident | Fraud involving Apple gift cards | | [New Jersey](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-new-jersey) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Gift cards bought with stolen banking details | | [New Mexico](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-new-mexico) | Public warning | Fake compensation / advance fee | | [New York](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-new-york) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Laundering value derived from gift cards | | [North Carolina](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-north-carolina) | Public warning | Seasonal scams / gift card demands | | [North Dakota](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-north-dakota) | Public warning | Fake authorities / jobs / fake checks | | [Ohio](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-ohio) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Counterfeit gift card conspiracy | | [Oklahoma](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-oklahoma) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Stolen goods → returns → store credit | | [Oregon](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-oregon) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Abuse of the employer’s rewards program | | [Pennsylvania](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-pennsylvania) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Redemption beyond the balance / software error | | [Rhode Island](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-rhode-island) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Activations without actual payment | | [South Carolina](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-south-carolina) | Charge, investigation or individual incident | Fake merchant and authority | | [South Dakota](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-south-dakota) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Mail theft | | [Tennessee](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-tennessee) | Public warning | Fake utility providers after storms | | [Texas](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-texas) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Compromised commercial system / fraudulent issuance | | [Utah](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-utah) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Fake SSA / cashing in gift cards | | [Vermont](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-vermont) | Public warning | Fictitious rewards / phishing | | [Virginia](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-virginia) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Open-loop gift cards / complicit merchant | | [Washington](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-washington) | Documented guilty finding, plea or sentence | Digital compromise of card numbers | | [West Virginia](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-west-virginia) | Public warning | Fake prize / advance fees | | [Wisconsin](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-wisconsin) | Public warning | Physical and digital draining | | [Wyoming](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/#article-section-wyoming) | Public warning | Purported jury-duty fine | Choose a state name to jump to its full entry. The map, index and atlas describe the same set of selected records. ### Alabama **July 30, 2025 · Indictment announced July 30, 2025** A federal indictment charged [Jiadong Cao](https://giftcard.news/person/jiadong-cao/) and [Xuejun Zheng](https://giftcard.news/person/xuejun-zheng/) with possessing counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. The Justice Department linked the allegations to a Pelham traffic stop where officers found more than 5,000 gift cards. That inventory is not a dollar-loss figure. The indictment records allegations, not a finding of guilt. [\[S22\]](#article-source-22) _Geographical connection: Pelham enforcement action; Northern District of Alabama prosecution._ ### Alaska **May 25, 2021 · Official warning; no individual case selected** The state Department of Law described fraudulent payment demands, including demands for gift cards, made in the names of federal authorities or companies. The source is a consumer protection warning, not a criminal judgment or a measure of local incidence. [\[S23\]](#article-source-23) _Geographical connection: Warning addressed to the Alaska public._ ### Arizona **September 30, 2024 · Sentence imposed on September 17, 2024** [Yuniel Rodriguez-Leon](https://giftcard.news/person/yuniel-rodriguez-leon/) received two years and nine months in prison, followed by two and a half years of probation, in a gift card cloning case. The documented conduct involved [Walmart](https://giftcard.news/company/walmart/) stores in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties in 2023\. [\[S24\]](#article-source-24) _Geographical connection: Operations in three Arizona counties._ ### Arkansas **No date displayed · Official warning** The official gift card guide warns about offers of “free” cards and purchases from unreliable sources. The entry documents the authority’s recognition of the risk; it does not identify a convicted person or a verified local loss. [\[S25\]](#article-source-25) _Geographical connection: State prevention material._ ### California **September 25, 2024 · Sentence: 60 months** Michael O’Brien Jr. was sentenced to five years for a fraud affecting [Target](https://giftcard.news/company/target/). The case describes abuse of gift card and return processes in California and 35 other states. The approximately $508,000 loss is distinct from the intended loss of more than $1 million. [\[S26\]](#article-source-26) _Geographical connection: Local conduct and federal case; multistate network._ ### Colorado **March 24, 2023 · Official warning** The consumer protection authority warned about impostors using tax season to demand payments, including through gift cards. The message does not present an individual criminal case. It does not establish an amount of gift card fraud in Colorado. [\[S27\]](#article-source-27) _Geographical connection: Tax-scam warning for state residents._ ### Connecticut **February 27, 2025 · Sentence: nine months** [Chester Culler](https://giftcard.news/person/chester-culler/) was sentenced for a fraudulent-return scheme involving [TJX](https://giftcard.news/company/tjx/) stores across 30 states. He was arrested in Wethersfield. The total of more than $400,000 concerns retail fraud involving cash and store value, not exclusively gift card losses in Connecticut. [\[S28\]](#article-source-28) _Geographical connection: Arrest in Wethersfield; local federal case._ ### Delaware **July 10, 2019 · Official warning** The state police published warnings about scams in which victims are pressured to pay, including with gift cards. The selected source is preventive: it provides no convicted person’s name, stolen balance, or separate gift card statistic. [\[S29\]](#article-source-29) _Geographical connection:_ [_Delaware State Police_](https://giftcard.news/organization/delaware-state-police/) _warning._ ### Florida **November 24, 2025 · Guilty plea entered September 23, 2025** [Cao Yuan Liu](https://giftcard.news/person/cao-yuan-liu/) pleaded guilty on September 23, 2025 to a conspiracy involving counterfeit or unauthorized gift cards. The Justice Department's November announcement described tampered cards placed in grocery stores during 2024 and approximately 42 stores targeted across Florida. The selected record establishes a guilty plea; it does not quantify consumers' total losses. [\[S30\]](#article-source-30) _Geographical connection: Stores in St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties._ ### Georgia **February 26, 2026 · Sentence: 37 months** [Felecia Ingram](https://giftcard.news/person/felecia-ingram/) was sentenced for stealing approximately 8,325 Home Depot gift cards with a total value of $4,085,043\. The court separately ordered $3,946,776 in restitution. The case concerns abuse of employee access; the restitution amount is not identical to the value of the cards. [\[S31\]](#article-source-31) _Geographical connection: Internal company access, Georgia._ ### Hawaii **August 3, 2026 · Officially reported incident; no charged person identified** Authorities reported that a victim received messages in the attorney general’s name and was asked to send photographs of cards and codes. The victim recovered the funds with help from the financial institution. The amount and the existence of an individual prosecution are not specified. [\[S32\]](#article-source-32) _Geographical connection: Victim described in the Hawaii warning._ ### Idaho **November 26, 2025 · Official warning** The attorney general warned about calls invoking absence from jury duty and demanding payment of fictitious fines, including through gift cards. This is a warning about a scam pattern, not evidence of a conviction or a measured level of losses. [\[S33\]](#article-source-33) _Geographical connection: Warning for Idaho._ ### Illinois **February 13, 2024 · Prison sentences** [Hongying Wang](https://giftcard.news/person/hongying-wang/) and [Guangwei Gao](https://giftcard.news/person/guangwei-gao/) each received prison sentences of more than a year for trafficking in counterfeit cards. The case involved Target stores and an enforcement action in Belleville. The more than 6,100 cards mentioned in the release are items involved in the investigation, not a loss expressed in dollars. [\[S34\]](#article-source-34) _Geographical connection: Belleville; operations in the Midwest._ ### Indiana **July 21, 2026 · Sentence: 18 months** Michael Meenan, a former IT director at an Indianapolis nonprofit, was sentenced for personal purchases paid for by the organization. They included Apple and [Southwest](https://giftcard.news/company/southwest-airlines/) gift cards and [Amazon](https://giftcard.news/company/amazon/) reloads. The $543,521 restitution covers the entire fraud, including other goods; it is not an exclusively gift card total. [\[S35\]](#article-source-35) _Geographical connection: Indianapolis organization._ ### Iowa **February 23, 2023 · Local police warning** [Algona police](https://giftcard.news/organization/algona-police-department/) published a warning about the use of gift cards in scams. The selected material documents local prevention efforts, not an indictment. It is not used to claim that Iowa has more or less fraud than states with criminal cases in the register. [\[S36\]](#article-source-36) _Geographical connection: Local warning, Algona._ ### Kansas **No date displayed · Official warning** Public protection materials describe impostors and other scams that may demand gift cards as a payment method. This reference does not allow a statewide loss to be established or a convicted person to be identified in an individual gift card fraud case. [\[S37\]](#article-source-37) _Geographical connection: Prevention materials for Kansas._ ### Kentucky **May 2, 2025 · Sentence: 27 months** Yongjian You was sentenced for mail fraud in a gift card compromise operation that included [Kroger](https://giftcard.news/company/kroger/) stores in Lexington. The release mentions potential exposure of more than $1.1 million. That was potential exposure, not a measured loss already borne by buyers. [\[S38\]](#article-source-38) _Geographical connection: Stores and operations in Lexington._ ### Louisiana **June 26, 2023 · Sentence: 57 months** Richard Verret was sentenced in a federal case involving an illicit online marketplace for gift card data. The DOJ cited more than 500,000 stolen account numbers and forfeiture of more than $810,000 in proceeds. The case’s venue does not automatically place all victims in Louisiana. [\[S39\]](#article-source-39) _Geographical connection: Federal case in the Middle District of Louisiana._ ### Maine **December 1, 2021 · Official consumer warning** The financial institutions regulator warns about demands for gift cards to satisfy alleged obligations and about consumer fraud. The entry is a prevention source. The selected material does not establish the name, loss amount, or outcome of an individual criminal case. [\[S40\]](#article-source-40) _Geographical connection: Financial warning for Maine consumers._ ### Maryland **July 27, 2023 · Sentence imposed on July 26, 2023: 36 months** Yong Chen was sentenced in a scheme that obtained cards from victims deceived by technical-support and refund pretexts. The DOJ reported a scheme worth approximately $561,000 and a $169,950 restitution obligation for the defendant. Redemptions included Maryland and Virginia. [\[S41\]](#article-source-41) _Geographical connection: Local redemptions; victims in several states._ ### Massachusetts **December 3, 2024 · Local police warning** [Cambridge police](https://giftcard.news/organization/cambridge-police-department/) included fraudulent gift card demands and risks associated with cards or deceptive offers in their holiday warning. This is a local prevention reference, not a judicial tally. No loss calculated from national data is attributed to the state. [\[S42\]](#article-source-42) _Geographical connection: Local warning, Cambridge._ ### Michigan **March 14, 2025 · Charges announced March 14, 2025** [Michigan's Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/michigan-attorney-general/) announced charges against [Guangji Zhang](https://giftcard.news/person/guangji-zhang/) and [Huachao Sun](https://giftcard.news/person/huachao-sun/) over alleged tampering with gift cards sold at Metro Detroit [Meijer](https://giftcard.news/company/meijer/) stores. Investigators reported more than 3,000 cards seized. The announcement documents charges and a seizure, not a conviction or a quantified consumer loss. [\[S43\]](#article-source-43) _Geographical connection: Meijer stores in Metro Detroit._ ### Minnesota **No date displayed · Official warning** The attorney general explains the risks of reward and free-gift-card offers that seek personal data or payments. This is a warning about luring victims with an apparent prize, not about draining a card they bought. It does not document an individual conviction. [\[S44\]](#article-source-44) _Geographical connection: Prevention material for Minnesota._ ### Mississippi **Official financial fraud warning** The secretary of state warns about financial scams and suspicious payment demands, including through gift cards. The selected source does not isolate a local gift card case or an amount attributable to such cards. For that reason, the state remains in the warnings category. [\[S45\]](#article-source-45) _Geographical connection: Official financial fraud prevention warning._ ### Missouri **July 25, 2024 · Sentence: three years** [Rashad Niles Shahid](https://giftcard.news/person/rashad-niles-shahid/) was sentenced for gift card fraud using unlawfully obtained employee identifiers. The case includes stores in Maplewood, Manchester, Florissant, and Shrewsbury. The court ordered $88,269 in restitution; this judicial obligation does not establish that the money has already been recovered. [\[S46\]](#article-source-46) _Geographical connection: Stores in Missouri._ ### Montana **February 21, 2023 · Official warning** The [Office of Consumer Protection](https://giftcard.news/organization/montana-office-of-consumer-protection/) reported calls in which impostors pose as law enforcement representatives and demand money, including gift cards. The overall number of reports in a warning is not converted here into a gift card fraud statistic. [\[S47\]](#article-source-47) _Geographical connection: Warning for the Montana public._ ### Nebraska **April 4, 2024 · Official warning** The authority warned about people claiming that a relative has an emergency and requesting payments, including through gift cards. The source describes the deception mechanism without establishing the identity of a convicted person or an individual loss that could be mapped as a case. [\[S48\]](#article-source-48) _Geographical connection: Warning for Nebraska._ ### Nevada **December 22, 2025 · Official prevention campaign** Nevada announced its participation in a multistate campaign against gift card fraud. The release is useful for documenting the public warning, but it is not a criminal case and does not measure the campaign’s effectiveness or the state’s fraud rate. [\[S49\]](#article-source-49) _Geographical connection: State-announced prevention campaign._ ### New Hampshire **March 16, 2026 · Investigation / victim identification** The U.S. Department of Justice and [Homeland Security Investigations](https://giftcard.news/organization/homeland-security-investigations/) sought to identify victims of an Apple gift card scheme involving conduct from October 1, 2023 through September 1, 2025\. The announcement is not a conviction. The stated response deadline, May 15, 2026, had already passed by the date of this article. [\[S50\]](#article-source-50) _Geographical connection: Action by New Hampshire authorities; potentially nationwide victims._ ### New Jersey **May 4, 2018 · Guilty verdict** Nikolay Krechet was found guilty in a case that included obtaining gift cards through stolen payment details. The FBI subsequently published a wanted notice after he left before his sentencing date. The verdict and the FBI notice are distinct records of the case. [\[S51\]](#article-source-51) [\[S20\]](#article-source-20) _Geographical connection: Federal case with victims and transactions connected to New Jersey._ ### New Mexico **No date displayed · Official warning** The [Workers’ Compensation Administration](https://giftcard.news/organization/new-mexico-workers-compensation-administration/) warns about impostors invoking judges, lawyers, or insurance benefits and demanding the purchase of gift cards before a supposed payment. This is a prevention alert, not a judicial finding against an identified individual. [\[S52\]](#article-source-52) _Geographical connection: Warning from the workers’ compensation administration._ ### New York **July 7, 2026 · Sentence: 70 months in federal prison** [Jun Wang](https://giftcard.news/person/jun-wang/) was sentenced to 70 months in prison for a money laundering conspiracy involving gift cards bought by scam victims across the United States. The Justice Department said he redeemed $2,285,039.81 at Walmart and [Sam's Club](https://giftcard.news/company/sam-s-club/) stores in Florida. The court ordered forfeiture of that amount and $275,634.27 in restitution to identified victims. Some victims lived in the Northern District of New York; the full sum is not a New York-only loss. [\[S53\]](#article-source-53) _Geographical connection: Victims included Northern District of New York residents; redemption occurred in Florida._ ### North Carolina **No date displayed · Official warning** The official holiday fraud prevention material includes suspicious payment demands and risks associated with gift cards. It is not treated as a criminal case or a prevalence statistic. The state has a verified warning in the register, not a selected individual case. [\[S54\]](#article-source-54) _Geographical connection: State prevention guide._ ### North Dakota **No date displayed · Official warning** The attorney general’s guide describes scams in which victims are asked for money or prepaid products following an apparently legitimate request. It includes impersonation variants and false opportunities. It does not allow a gift card loss amount to be isolated for North Dakota. [\[S55\]](#article-source-55) _Geographical connection: State prevention material._ ### Ohio **May 22, 2024 · Sentence: four to six years** [Ming Xue](https://giftcard.news/person/ming-xue/) was sentenced in Coshocton County for participating in a counterfeit card scheme. The attorney general’s release documents the sentence of four to six years. The number of counts is not used as a count of victims or independent incidents. [\[S56\]](#article-source-56) _Geographical connection: Case in Coshocton County._ ### Oklahoma **May 23, 2018 · Sentence: 188 months** [Leonard Ray Foster](https://giftcard.news/person/leonard-ray-foster/) was sentenced in a large-scale scheme that converted stolen goods into gift card value through fraudulent returns. It is an example of the link between retail theft and card monetization. No assumption is made that every resale platform used in the flow knowingly participated in the crime. [\[S57\]](#article-source-57) _Geographical connection: Federal case in Oklahoma._ ### Oregon **February 20, 2014 · Probation and home detention; restitution paid according to the source** Maria Lana Gilbert was sentenced after using Bureau of Land Management funds for personal goods and gift cards instead of authorized purchases. The mixed loss of $41,276.33 had been repaid in full by sentencing, according to the DOJ. The case does not concern gift cards exclusively. [\[S58\]](#article-source-58) _Geographical connection: BLM office in Salem and purchases in Oregon._ ### Pennsylvania **September 9, 2019 · Guilty plea and sentence reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer** The Justice Department charged Chad Douglas Broudy in 2018 over gift-card over-redemption worth approximately $320,582\. The Philadelphia Inquirer subsequently reported that he pleaded guilty and received a one-day prison sentence and four months of house arrest in September 2019\. It reported $319,739 in restitution, paid before sentencing according to his lawyer. The charging amount and restitution figure are different measures. [\[S59\]](#article-source-59) [\[S73\]](#article-source-73) _Geographical connection: Coatesville resident; Eastern District of Pennsylvania case involving_ [_eBay_](https://giftcard.news/company/ebay/)_._ ### Rhode Island **January 7, 2026 · Sentence of time served; three years of supervised release** Mattek Scott was sentenced in a retail fraud carried out in at least 11 states, including Rhode Island. The scheme obtained goods and gift cards without actual payment. The approximately $140,000 loss belongs to the merchant in the case and is mixed, not an exclusively card-related total. [\[S60\]](#article-source-60) _Geographical connection: Rhode Island merchant; multistate conduct._ ### South Carolina **July 14, 2022 · Police-reported incident; no conviction indicated** The Beaufort County Sheriff reported the case of a Hilton Head woman deceived through a fake Amazon problem and supposed [CIA](https://giftcard.news/organization/central-intelligence-agency/) intervention. Reported losses were $30,000 in gift cards and $100,000 in cash. Only the first component is a gift card loss. [\[S61\]](#article-source-61) _Geographical connection: Victim from Hilton Head Island._ ### South Dakota **February 29, 2020 · Sentence imposed on February 24, 2020** [Kayla Ottmo](https://giftcard.news/person/kayla-ottmo/), a former postal employee, received two years of probation for mail theft that included gift cards. The $315 restitution concerns the property in the case; it is not automatically treated as the value of gift cards alone. The conduct occurred in 2018\. [\[S62\]](#article-source-62) _Geographical connection: Postal activity in South Dakota._ ### Tennessee **January 22, 2024 · Official warning** In the warning issued after the winter storms, the attorney general described impostors exploiting utility problems and demanding unusual payments, including gift cards. This is not a criminal judgment and does not quantify card-related losses in Tennessee. [\[S63\]](#article-source-63) _Geographical connection: Warning following winter storms._ ### Texas **April 4, 2022 · Documented sentences: 60 and 37 months** [Jason Tout-Puissant](https://giftcard.news/person/jason-tout-puissant/) and [Syed Ali](https://giftcard.news/person/syed-ali/) received sentences of 60 and 37 months, respectively, for an Apple gift card scheme. The case links unauthorized issuance to a store in Southlake. The value of more than $1.5 million described by the DOJ should not be confused with individual restitution. [\[S64\]](#article-source-64) _Geographical connection: Unauthorized issuance in Southlake; redemptions also in another state._ ### Utah **March 20, 2023 · Sentences: 21 and 36 months** Chaohui Chen and Wenyi Zheng were sentenced for participating in a scheme that obtained cards from victims of impostors. Each was ordered to pay $217,200 in restitution for the same scheme. Repeating the obligation for two defendants does not turn the loss into $434,400\. [\[S65\]](#article-source-65) _Geographical connection: Federal case in Utah; victims in multiple locations._ ### Vermont **January 11, 2024 · Annual report / official warning** In its material on scams reported in 2023, the authority also described reward or credit messages that may use gift cards as bait. The overall number of reports about all scams is not used here as a gift card fraud statistic. [\[S66\]](#article-source-66) _Geographical connection: State prevention report._ ### Virginia **April 5, 2023 · Documented sentences;** [**Adiam Berhane**](https://giftcard.news/person/adiam-berhane/)**: ten years** The Caffe Aficionado case in Arlington linked stolen bank card details to American Express gift cards and transactions through the business involved. Adiam Berhane received ten years in prison in March 2023\. This is a mixed financial fraud case involving gift cards usable across a payment network. [\[S67\]](#article-source-67) _Geographical connection: Coffee shop and transactions in Arlington._ ### Washington **July 8, 2019 · Sentence: five years** Jeffery Douglas Mann was sentenced for leading a network that stole more than $700,000 from Target and its customers. The case describes compromise of gift card numbers without possession of the physical cards. The amount concerns the network’s activity in several western states, not Washington alone. [\[S68\]](#article-source-68) _Geographical connection: Federal case in Washington; operations in the western United States._ ### West Virginia **No date displayed · Official warning** The official warnings page describes demands for money to unlock prizes, including requests for gift cards. This source does not establish an individual court case or a statewide fraud rate. The warning label does not mean that actual cases are absent. [\[S69\]](#article-source-69) _Geographical connection: Official prevention guide._ ### Wisconsin **November 14, 2022 · Official alert about reports of drained cards** The [Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection](https://giftcard.news/organization/wisconsin-department-of-agriculture-trade-and-consumer-protection/) warned about drained cards and explained risks from physical compromise and abusive digital balance checking. The source is an alert about a reported phenomenon, not a case with an identified defendant. Under the methodology, it remains in the warnings category. [\[S70\]](#article-source-70) _Geographical connection: Wisconsin consumer protection alert._ ### Wyoming **October 25, 2024 · Official warning from the** [**Wyoming Judicial Branch**](https://giftcard.news/organization/wyoming-judicial-branch/) The Wyoming Judicial Branch warned that impostors were invoking missed jury service and threatening arrest unless residents paid immediately, including with gift cards. Its October 2024 notice said the courts do not demand telephone payments for missed jury service. This is an official statewide warning, not a documented conviction or a measure of gift card fraud incidence. [\[S71\]](#article-source-71) _Geographical connection: Wyoming Judicial Branch warning addressed to state residents._ ## Follow the value, check the identity, reconcile the records The cases brought together here show that a useful analysis of gift card fraud must track three things separately: the legitimacy of the person requesting the transfer, the integrity of the card or account, and the correctness of the commercial process. A convincing message does not prove identity; an intact physical card does not guarantee the balance; an operation displayed as completed does not necessarily confirm actual payment. [\[S04\]](#article-source-4) [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) [\[S60\]](#article-source-60) For operators, that leaves a practical set of questions. Who can create value? Who can move it? What proves that the payment, recipient and redemption belong together? For consumers, the first question is often simpler: who is asking for the code, and can that identity be checked independently? The answer depends on the mechanism. The map helps readers inspect the evidence behind those distinctions while keeping allegations, verdicts, restitution and public warnings separate. ## How this investigation was assembled Each state has one selected record with an explicit geographical connection. Categories describe the evidence behind that entry: a guilty plea, verdict or sentence; charges or an investigation; or a public warning. They do not rank the states by fraud risk. Sources are primarily official releases and warnings; Pennsylvania's later sentencing outcome is attributed to contemporary reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer alongside the original Justice Department announcement. Dates identify the cited record, not a claim that all later proceedings have been continuously monitored. The periods are heterogeneous: some court cases are historical, while others were published in 2026\. The atlas does not compare years, infer trends from the number of press releases, or measure underreporting. It is not a comprehensive review of court dockets, appeals, or every update to each case. Case descriptions identify the dated event supported by the cited record. Individuals are named only where public sources identify defendants or convicted persons; private victims are not identified. The explanations describe mechanisms and control points without operational instructions for exploitation. Source references open the bibliography at the end of the article. The downloadable CSV brings together the map records, chart values, tables and source URLs. The research cutoff is September 17, 2026; source pages may subsequently change. **This is a journalistic article for general information, not legal advice or a legal opinion on a particular transaction, dispute or business.** Reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. For a specific incident, the relevant issuer, consumer-protection authority or an appropriately qualified lawyer can assess the facts and applicable rules. [Back to top ↑](#article-top) ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [\[S01\] Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 — Payment Methods, p. 11\. Data for 2024](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc%5Fgov/pdf/csn-annual-data-book-2024.pdf?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S02\] Federal Trade Commission: Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card Scams. No date displayed](https://consumer.ftc.gov/avoiding-reporting-gift-card-scams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S03\] Federal Trade Commission: Check out gift cards before you buy them. December 19, 2024](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/12/check-out-gift-cards-you-buy-them?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S04\] Federal Trade Commission: No, that’s not your boss asking you to buy gift cards. January 2026](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/01/no-thats-not-your-boss-asking-you-buy-gift-cards?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S05\] Internal Revenue Service: How taxpayers can protect themselves from gift card scams. January 17, 2025](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-taxpayers-can-protect-themselves-from-gift-card-scams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Internal Revenue Service * [\[S06\] Office of the Comptroller of the Currency: Holiday and Gift Card Scams. No date displayed](https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/holiday-and-gift-card-scams.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Office of the Comptroller of the Currency * [\[S07\] Federal Bureau of Investigation: Protecting Yourself from Fake Barcodes on Gift Cards. September 26, 2023](https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/elpaso/news/fbi-tech-tuesday-protecting-yourself-from-fake-barcodes-on-gift-cards?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Bureau of Investigation * [\[S08\] AARP: Fraud Alert: Gift Card Balance Scams. February 17, 2025](https://www.aarp.org/states/virginia/aarp-virginia-fraud-alert-gift-card-balance-scams/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — AARP * [\[S09\] Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities: My Money — Safety / Recovery Scams. No date displayed](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dobs/my-money/safety?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities * [\[S10\] New York Attorney General: Dunkin’ to Fill Holes in Security, Reimburse Hacked Customers. September 15, 2020](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2020/attorney-general-james-gets-dunkin-fill-holes-security-reimburse-hacked-customers?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — New York Attorney General * [\[S11\] Federal Trade Commission: FTC and Florida Attorney General Sue Chargebacks911\. April 12, 2023](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/04/ftc-florida-attorney-general-sue-chargebacks911-thwarting-consumers-who-were-trying-reverse-disputed?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S12\] Federal Trade Commission: Lawsuit Leads to Restrictions on Chargebacks911\. November 7, 2023](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/11/ftc-florida-lawsuit-leads-restrictions-chargebacks911-prohibits-deceptive-efforts-stop-consumers?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S13\] Federal Trade Commission: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida: Chargebacks911 — Stipulated Order, Dkt. 47\. November 29, 2023](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc%5Fgov/pdf/Dkt47-2023-11-29-Final%20order.pdf?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida * [\[S14\] Federal Trade Commission: Financial Institution Added to Apex Capital Group Case. May 30, 2019](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2019/05/ftc-adds-latvian-financial-institution-ceo-case-against-apex-capital-group?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S15\] Federal Trade Commission: Payment Processor and Former CEO Settle Free-Trial Allegations. January 2020](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/01/overseas-payment-processor-its-former-ceo-settle-ftc-allegations-they-enabled-deceptive-free-trial?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission * [\[S16\] U.S. Department of Justice: Three Sentenced in Gift Card Scheme. March 19, 2013](https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva/pr/three-sentenced-gift-card-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S17\] Minnesota Attorney General: Escrow Scams. No date displayed](https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/Publications/EscrowScams.asp?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Minnesota Attorney General * [\[S18\] Tennessee Attorney General: Celebrity Impersonation Scam Alert. June 26, 2024](https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2024/6/26/pr24-52.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Tennessee Attorney General * [\[S19\] Michigan Attorney General: Gift Card Scams Consumer Alert Reissued. April 21, 2026](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/04/21/ag-nessel-reissues-gift-card-scams-consumer-alert?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Michigan Attorney General * [\[S20\] Federal Bureau of Investigation: Nikolay Almazov Krechet — Wanted notice. Accessed September 17, 2026](https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wcc/nikolay-almazov-krechet?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Bureau of Investigation * [\[S21\] US Atlas: U.S. state geometry, derived from U.S. Census Bureau boundaries. Geographic dataset and documentation](https://github.com/topojson/us-atlas?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — US Atlas * [\[S22\] U.S. Department of Justice: Chinese Nationals Charged with Illegally Possessing Counterfeit and Unauthorized Gift Cards. July 30, 2025](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/chinese-nationals-charged-illegally-possessing-counterfeit-and-unauthorized-gift-cards?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S23\] Alaska Department of Law: Fraud and Scam Reduction Act / consumer scam warning. May 25, 2021](https://www.law.state.ak.us/press/releases/2021/052521-FraudAndScamReductionAct.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Alaska Department of Law * [\[S24\] Arizona Attorney General: Sentencing in Gift Card Cloning Case. September 30, 2024](https://www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mayes-announces-sentencing-gift-card-cloning-case?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Arizona Attorney General * [\[S25\] Arkansas Attorney General: Gift Cards. No date displayed](https://arkansasag.gov/divisions/public-protection/finances/gift-cards/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Arkansas Attorney General * [\[S26\] U.S. Department of Justice: Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Over $500,000 Retail Theft. September 25, 2024](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/massachusetts-man-sentenced-five-years-prison-over-500000-retail-theft?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S27\] Colorado Attorney General: Consumer warning on tax scams. March 24, 2023](https://coag.gov/press-releases/3-24-23/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Colorado Attorney General * [\[S28\] U.S. Department of Justice: Queens Man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding TJX Stores in 30 States of More Than $400K. February 27, 2025](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/queens-man-sentenced-prison-defrauding-tjx-stores-30-states-more-400k?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S29\] Delaware State Police: Scam Alert Advisories. July 10, 2019](https://dsp.delaware.gov/2019/07/10/delaware-state-police-issues-scam-alert-advisories/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Delaware State Police * [\[S30\] U.S. Department of Justice: Chinese National Pleads Guilty in South Florida Gift Card Fraud Scheme. November 24, 2025](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/chinese-national-pleads-guilty-south-florida-gift-card-fraud-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S31\] U.S. Department of Justice: Former Home Depot Associate Sentenced for Stealing More Than $4 Million. February 26, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/former-home-depot-associate-sentenced-federal-prison-stealing-more-4-million-company?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S32\] Hawaii Department of the Attorney General: Gift Card Scam Impersonating the Attorney General — Release 2026-49\. August 3, 2026](https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/2026-49-department-of-the-attorney-general-warns-public-of-gift-card-scam-impersonating-the-attorney-general/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Hawaii Department of the Attorney General * [\[S33\] Idaho Attorney General: Jury Duty Scams Sweeping Across Idaho. November 26, 2025](https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/consumer-alert-attorney-general-cautions-against-jury-duty-scams-sweeping-across-idaho/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Idaho Attorney General * [\[S34\] U.S. Department of Justice: Chinese Nationals Sentenced for Trafficking Counterfeit Gift Cards in Belleville. February 13, 2024](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/chinese-nationals-sentenced-trafficking-counterfeit-gift-cards-belleville?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S35\] U.S. Department of Justice: Former Non-Profit IT Director Sentenced for Nearly $550,000 Theft. July 21, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/former-non-profit-it-director-sentenced-federal-prison-nearly-550000-theft?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S36\] Algona Police Department: Gift card scam warning. February 23, 2023](https://www.algonaiowa.gov/news/6374?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Algona Police Department * [\[S37\] Kansas Attorney General: Public Protection. No date displayed](https://www.ag.ks.gov/divisions/public-protection?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Kansas Attorney General * [\[S38\] U.S. Department of Justice: Chinese National Sentenced for Mail Fraud. May 2, 2025](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/chinese-national-sentenced-mail-fraud?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S39\] U.S. Department of Justice: Sentence for Operating an Illicit Online Marketplace. June 26, 2023](https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdla/pr/canadian-man-sentenced-lengthy-federal-prison-sentence-scheme-operate-illicit-online?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S40\] Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions: Superintendent Warns Consumers of Potential Scams.](https://www.maine.gov/pfr/financialinstitutions/news-notices/2022-05-16-maine-financial-institutions-superintendent-warns-consumers-potential?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions * [\[S41\] U.S. Department of Justice: Owings Mills Man Sentenced for Fraudulent Gift Card Scheme. July 27, 2023](https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/owings-mills-man-sentenced-three-years-federal-prison-fraudulent-gift-card-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S42\] Cambridge Police Department: Common Holiday-Themed Scams. December 3, 2024](https://www.cambridgema.gov/departments/cambridgepolice/news/2024/12/cpdwarnspublicofcommonholidaythemedscams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Cambridge Police Department * [\[S43\] Michigan Attorney General: Two Charged in Alleged Gift Card Scam Targeting Meijer Stores. March 14, 2025](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/03/14/ag-nessel-charges-two-in-alleged-gift-card-scam-targeting-metro-detroit-meijer-stores?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Michigan Attorney General * [\[S44\] Minnesota Attorney General: Gift Cards: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. No date displayed](https://ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/GiftCardsFreeLunch.asp?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Minnesota Attorney General * [\[S45\] Mississippi Secretary of State: Warning on Increasing Uses of Investment Scams.](https://www.sos.ms.gov/news/secretary-michael-watson-warns-increasing-uses-investment-scams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Mississippi Secretary of State * [\[S46\] U.S. Department of Justice: Store Gift Card Fraud Leads to 3 Years in Prison. July 25, 2024](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/store-gift-card-fraud-leads-3-years-prison?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S47\] Montana Department of Justice: Scam Callers Posing as Law Enforcement. February 21, 2023](https://www.dojmt.gov/dojs-ocp-receiving-increased-reports-of-scam-callers-posing-as-law-enforcement/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Montana Department of Justice * [\[S48\] Nebraska Attorney General: Family Emergency Scams Consumer Alert. April 4, 2024](https://ago.nebraska.gov/news/nebraska-attorney-generals-office-issues-consumer-alert-regarding-family-emergency-scams?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Nebraska Attorney General * [\[S49\] Nevada Attorney General: Multi-State PSA Campaign to Combat Gift Card Fraud. December 22, 2025](https://ag.nv.gov/News/PR/2025/Nevada%5FAttorney%5FGeneral%5FAaron%5FD%5F%5FFord%5FJoins%5FMulti-State%5FPSA%5FCampaign%5Fto%5FCombat%5FGift%5FCard%5FFraud/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Nevada Attorney General * [\[S50\] U.S. Department of Justice: Victim Identification in Gift Card Fraud Scheme. March 16, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/public-service-alert-victim-identification-gift-card-fraud-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S51\] U.S. Department of Justice: Connecticut Man Found Guilty in Credit and Gift Card Fraud Scheme. May 4, 2018](https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/connecticut-man-found-guilty-wire-fraud-charges-credit-and-gift-card-fraud-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S52\] New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration: Scam Alert. No date displayed](https://www.workerscomp.nm.gov/scam-alert/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration * [\[S53\] U.S. Department of Justice: Chinese National Sentenced to Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy Involving $2.2 Million in Walmart Gift Cards. July 7, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny/pr/chinese-national-sentenced-prison-money-laundering-conspiracy-involving-22-million?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S54\] North Carolina Department of Justice: Holiday Scams. No date displayed](https://ncdoj.gov/protecting-consumers/holiday-scams/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — North Carolina Department of Justice * [\[S55\] North Dakota Attorney General: Scam Prevention. No date displayed](https://attorneygeneral.nd.gov/consumer-resources/scam-prevention/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — North Dakota Attorney General * [\[S56\] Ohio Attorney General: Sentencing in Coshocton County Gift Card Case. May 22, 2024](https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/May-2024/AG-Yost-Announces-Sentencing-in-Coshocton-County-G?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Ohio Attorney General * [\[S57\] U.S. Department of Justice: Multi-Million Dollar Gift Card Fraud Leads to More Than Fifteen Years in Prison. May 23, 2018](https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/multi-million-dollar-gift-card-fraud-leads-more-fifteen-years-prison?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S58\] U.S. Department of Justice: Ex-BLM Employee Sentenced for Theft of Government Funds. February 20, 2014](https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/ex-blm-employee-sentenced-theft-government-funds?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S59\] U.S. Department of Justice: Coatesville Man Charged with Wire Fraud in Gift Card Scam. June 5, 2018](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/coatesville-man-charged-wire-fraud-gift-card-scam?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S60\] U.S. Department of Justice: Michigan Man Sentenced in Multi-State Retail Crime Theft Scheme. January 7, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ri/pr/michigan-man-sentenced-multi-state-retail-crime-theft-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S61\] Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office: Hilton Head Island Woman Loses More Than $100,000 in Scam. July 14, 2022](https://bcso.net/hilton-head-island-woman-loses-more-than-100000-in-scam/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office * [\[S62\] U.S. Department of Justice: Pukwana Woman Sentenced for Theft of Mail by Postal Service Employee. February 29, 2020](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/pukwana-woman-sentenced-theft-mail-postal-service-employee?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S63\] Tennessee Attorney General: Winter Storm Scam Prevention Tips. January 22, 2024](https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2024/1/22/pr24-07-tennessee-attorney-general-s-office-issues-winter-storm-scam-prevention-tips.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Tennessee Attorney General * [\[S64\] U.S. Department of Justice: Two Men Sentenced to Combined 8 Years for $1.5 Million Apple Gift Card Scheme. April 4, 2022](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/two-men-sentenced-combined-8-years-15-million-apple-gift-card-scheme?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S65\] U.S. Department of Justice: Defendants Sentenced in $217,200 Gift Card Conspiracy. March 20, 2023](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/defendants-sentenced-217200-gift-card-conspiracy-and-wire-fraud-scheme-cheated-victims?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S66\] Vermont Attorney General: Top 10 Scams of 2023\. January 11, 2024](https://ago.vermont.gov/blog/2024/01/11/attorney-general-clark-releases-top-10-scams-2023?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Vermont Attorney General * [\[S67\] U.S. Department of Justice: Final Defendant Sentenced in Credit Card Fraud Scheme Involving Arlington Coffee Shop. April 5, 2023](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/final-defendant-sentenced-million-dollar-credit-card-fraud-scheme-involving-arlington?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S68\] U.S. Department of Justice: Leader of Gift Card Fraud Ring Sentenced to 5 Years. July 8, 2019](https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/leader-gift-card-fraud-ring-stole-more-700000-target-and-customers-sentenced-5-years?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — U.S. Department of Justice * [\[S69\] West Virginia Attorney General: Scam Warning. No date displayed](https://ago.wv.gov/page/scam-warning?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — West Virginia Attorney General * [\[S70\] Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Consumer Alert: Gift Cards. November 14, 2022](https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/News%5FMedia/ConsumerAlert2022-11-14%5FGiftCards.aspx?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection * [\[S71\] Wyoming Judicial Branch: Wyoming Judicial Branch Warns Against Jury Duty Scams. October 25, 2024](https://www.courts.state.wy.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/News-Release-Wyoming-Judicial-Branch-Warns-Against-Jury-Duty-Scams.pdf?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Wyoming Judicial Branch * [\[S72\] Mastercard: Sellers beware: Getting to the bottom of first-party fraud. 2024; accessed September 17, 2026](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/stories/2024/sellers-beware-getting-to-the-bottom-of-first-party-fraud.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Mastercard * [\[S73\] The Philadelphia Inquirer: Coatesville man who defrauded eBay out of $320,000 sentenced to one day in prison. September 9, 2019 — Secondary reporting.](https://www.inquirer.com/business/ebay-gift-card-fraud-chad-broudy-20190909.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — The Philadelphia Inquirer * [\[S74\] Statista: gift-card fraud reports, 2018–2024; FTC data; updated September 1, 2026](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1560932/gift-card-fraud-reports-us/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Statista * [\[S75\] Statista: reported gift-card fraud losses, 2018–2024; FTC data; updated September 1, 2026](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1560943/money-lost-to-gift-card-fraud-us/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Statista * [\[S76\] Statista: quarterly fraud losses by payment method, Q1 2020–Q2 2026; updated August 19, 2026](https://www.statista.com/statistics/958997/fraud-loss-usa-by-payment-method/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Statista * [\[S77\] Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Sentinel payment and contact methods dashboard](https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/FraudReports/PaymentContactMethods?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Federal Trade Commission ## In this article ### Companies * [Amazon](https://giftcard.news/company/amazon/) * [American Express](https://giftcard.news/company/american-express/) * [Apex Capital Group](https://giftcard.news/company/apex-capital-group/) * [Apple](https://giftcard.news/company/apple/) * [Caffe Aficionado](https://giftcard.news/company/caffe-aficionado/) * [Chargebacks911](https://giftcard.news/company/chargebacks911/) * [Dunkin](https://giftcard.news/company/dunkin/) * [Google](https://giftcard.news/company/google/) * [Kroger](https://giftcard.news/company/kroger/) * [Mastercard](https://giftcard.news/company/mastercard/) * [Meijer](https://giftcard.news/company/meijer/) * [Sam’s Club](https://giftcard.news/company/sam-s-club/) * [Southwest Airlines](https://giftcard.news/company/southwest-airlines/) * [Statista](https://giftcard.news/company/statista/) * [TJX](https://giftcard.news/company/tjx/) * [Target](https://giftcard.news/company/target/) * [The Home Depot](https://giftcard.news/company/the-home-depot/) * [The Philadelphia Inquirer](https://giftcard.news/company/the-philadelphia-inquirer/) * [Transact Pro](https://giftcard.news/company/transact-pro/) * [Walmart](https://giftcard.news/company/walmart/) * [eBay](https://giftcard.news/company/ebay/) ### People * [Adiam Berhane](https://giftcard.news/person/adiam-berhane/) * [Cao Yuan Liu](https://giftcard.news/person/cao-yuan-liu/) * [Chad Douglas Broudy](https://giftcard.news/person/chad-douglas-broudy/) * [Chaohui Chen](https://giftcard.news/person/chaohui-chen/) * [Chester Culler](https://giftcard.news/person/chester-culler/) * [Felecia Ingram](https://giftcard.news/person/felecia-ingram/) * [Guangji Zhang](https://giftcard.news/person/guangji-zhang/) * [Guangwei Gao](https://giftcard.news/person/guangwei-gao/) * [Hongying Wang](https://giftcard.news/person/hongying-wang/) * [Huachao Sun](https://giftcard.news/person/huachao-sun/) * [Jason Tout-Puissant](https://giftcard.news/person/jason-tout-puissant/) * [Jeffery Douglas Mann](https://giftcard.news/person/jeffery-douglas-mann/) * [Jiadong Cao](https://giftcard.news/person/jiadong-cao/) * [Jun Wang](https://giftcard.news/person/jun-wang/) * [Kayla Ottmo](https://giftcard.news/person/kayla-ottmo/) * [Leonard Ray Foster](https://giftcard.news/person/leonard-ray-foster/) * [Maria Lana Gilbert](https://giftcard.news/person/maria-lana-gilbert/) * [Mattek Scott](https://giftcard.news/person/mattek-scott/) * [Michael Meenan](https://giftcard.news/person/michael-meenan/) * [Michael O’Brien Jr.](https://giftcard.news/person/michael-o-brien-jr/) * [Ming Xue](https://giftcard.news/person/ming-xue/) * [Nikolay Almazov Krechet](https://giftcard.news/person/nikolay-almazov-krechet/) * [Rashad Niles Shahid](https://giftcard.news/person/rashad-niles-shahid/) * [Richard Verret](https://giftcard.news/person/richard-verret/) * [Syed Ali](https://giftcard.news/person/syed-ali/) * [Wenyi Zheng](https://giftcard.news/person/wenyi-zheng/) * [Xuejun Zheng](https://giftcard.news/person/xuejun-zheng/) * [Yong Chen](https://giftcard.news/person/yong-chen/) * [Yongjian You](https://giftcard.news/person/yongjian-you/) * [Yuniel Rodriguez-Leon](https://giftcard.news/person/yuniel-rodriguez-leon/) ### Organizations * [AARP](https://giftcard.news/organization/aarp/) * [Alaska Department of Law](https://giftcard.news/organization/alaska-department-of-law/) * [Algona Police Department](https://giftcard.news/organization/algona-police-department/) * [Arizona Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/arizona-attorney-general/) * [Arkansas Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/arkansas-attorney-general/) * [Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office](https://giftcard.news/organization/beaufort-county-sheriff-s-office/) * [Bureau of Land Management](https://giftcard.news/organization/bureau-of-land-management/) * [Cambridge Police Department](https://giftcard.news/organization/cambridge-police-department/) * [Central Intelligence Agency](https://giftcard.news/organization/central-intelligence-agency/) * [Colorado Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/colorado-attorney-general/) * [Delaware State Police](https://giftcard.news/organization/delaware-state-police/) * [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://giftcard.news/organization/federal-bureau-of-investigation/) * [Federal Trade Commission](https://giftcard.news/organization/federal-trade-commission/) * [Hawaii Department of the Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/hawaii-department-of-the-attorney-general/) * [Homeland Security Investigations](https://giftcard.news/organization/homeland-security-investigations/) * [Idaho Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/idaho-attorney-general/) * [Internal Revenue Service](https://giftcard.news/organization/internal-revenue-service/) * [Internet Crime Complaint Center](https://giftcard.news/organization/internet-crime-complaint-center/) * [Kansas Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/kansas-attorney-general/) * [Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions](https://giftcard.news/organization/maine-bureau-of-financial-institutions/) * [Michigan Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/michigan-attorney-general/) * [Minnesota Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/minnesota-attorney-general/) * [Mississippi Secretary of State](https://giftcard.news/organization/mississippi-secretary-of-state/) * [Montana Department of Justice](https://giftcard.news/organization/montana-department-of-justice/) * [Montana Office of Consumer Protection](https://giftcard.news/organization/montana-office-of-consumer-protection/) * [Nebraska Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/nebraska-attorney-general/) * [Nevada Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/nevada-attorney-general/) * [New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration](https://giftcard.news/organization/new-mexico-workers-compensation-administration/) * [New York Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/new-york-attorney-general/) * [North Carolina Department of Justice](https://giftcard.news/organization/north-carolina-department-of-justice/) * [North Dakota Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/north-dakota-attorney-general/) * [Office of the Comptroller of the Currency](https://giftcard.news/organization/office-of-the-comptroller-of-the-currency/) * [Ohio Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/ohio-attorney-general/) * [Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities](https://giftcard.news/organization/pennsylvania-department-of-banking-and-securities/) * [Social Security Administration](https://giftcard.news/organization/social-security-administration/) * [Tennessee Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/tennessee-attorney-general/) * [U.S. Census Bureau](https://giftcard.news/organization/u-s-census-bureau/) * [U.S. Department of Justice](https://giftcard.news/organization/u-s-department-of-justice/) * [U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida](https://giftcard.news/organization/u-s-district-court-for-the-middle-district-of-florida/) * [US Atlas](https://giftcard.news/organization/us-atlas/) * [Vermont Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/vermont-attorney-general/) * [West Virginia Attorney General](https://giftcard.news/organization/west-virginia-attorney-general/) * [Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection](https://giftcard.news/organization/wisconsin-department-of-agriculture-trade-and-consumer-protection/) * [Wyoming Judicial Branch](https://giftcard.news/organization/wyoming-judicial-branch/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fgift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Gift%20Card%20Fraud%20in%20the%20United%20States "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fgift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Gift%20Card%20Fraud%20in%20the%20United%20States%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fgift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) Journalist — Industry Deals & Research Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research for Gift Card News. ## Related articles [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [AI Can Shop for You. Can It Spend Your Gift Cards?](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/ai-can-shop-for-you-can-it-spend-your-gift-cards/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 17, 2026 17 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [Can You Cash Out Your Gift Card? A State-by-State Guide](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/can-you-cash-out-your-gift-card-state-by-state-guide/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 17, 2026 79 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [A Bank on the Card, a Licensing Question Before It](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/us-virtual-card-licensing-mtl-msb-50-states/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 16, 2026 86 min From reading to building ## Your next move in gift cards. Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers. [Find a provider ](https://giftcard.news/find-a-provider/) **In this report** 1. [There is no single form of gift card fraud](#article-section-there-is-no-single-form-of-gift-card-fraud) 2. [What the national data show](#article-section-what-the-national-data-show) 3. [The map: what is documented in each state](#article-section-the-map-what-is-documented-in-each-state) 4. [The victim is persuaded to buy or transfer the value](#article-section-the-victim-is-persuaded-to-buy-or-transfer-the-value) 5. [The card, code, or account is compromised](#article-section-the-card-code-or-account-is-compromised) 6. [Fraud passes through the merchant’s processes](#article-section-fraud-passes-through-the-merchant-s-processes) 7. [Chargebacks: fraud can also lie in the evidence or the metrics](#article-section-chargebacks-fraud-can-also-lie-in-the-evidence-or-the-metrics) 8. [Who loses, and why the amounts cannot simply be added together](#article-section-who-loses-and-why-the-amounts-cannot-simply-be-added-together) 9. [What can be done: controls tied to the mechanism, not the label](#article-section-what-can-be-done-controls-tied-to-the-mechanism-not-the-label) 10. [Recovering the money: sometimes possible, never to be promised](#article-section-recovering-the-money-sometimes-possible-never-to-be-promised) 11. [Atlas of the 50 states](#article-section-atlas-of-the-50-states) 12. [Follow the value, check the identity, reconcile the records](#article-section-follow-the-value-check-the-identity-reconcile-the-records) 13. [How this investigation was assembled](#article-section-how-this-investigation-was-assembled) [Download data (CSV)](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/data.csv) [Back to top ↑](#article-top) ## Related articles [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [AI Can Shop for You. Can It Spend Your Gift Cards?](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/ai-can-shop-for-you-can-it-spend-your-gift-cards/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 17, 2026 17 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [Can You Cash Out Your Gift Card? 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