If you lost money to scammers who stole gift cards, you may be able to get some or all of it back, say federal investigators, who have been probing a sophisticated international criminal scheme with a base in New Hampshire.
The ring has used stolen gift cards to buy high-end eletronics in New Hampshire, which doesn't charge sales tax, and ship them to China for resale, according to Homeland Security Investigations. The millions of dollars that have been stolen have allegedly gone to producing fentanyl and illegal migration or human trafficking.
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The gift cards are stolen by hacking American companies or fooling people through romance or elder scams, according to investigators. Homeland Security, the IRS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Concord, New Hampshire, Police Department have been looking into the scheme since December 2023.
This January, three people from China pleaded guilty for their parts of the scheme, federal prosecutors in New Hampshire said. They said the three were part of a cell based in the Granite State who were responsible together for nearly $5 million in fraudulent gift card purchases and use.
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Anyone who had gift card funds stolen between Oct. 1, 2023, and Jan. 11, 2024, was urged to send the gift card number, proof of purchase, victim's name and a contact number to HSINewEnglandVictimAssistance@ice.dhs.gov, especially if the gift card was from Apple, Walmart, Target or Best Buy. Investigators will compare the gift card number with ones known to have been stolen.
The public has until June 30, 2025, to apply for restitution.
Read more about the federal investigation, known as Project Red Hook, into the gift card-electronics sale scheme, on the Homeland Security Investigations project website.
