Man indicted in connection to gift card counterfeiting scheme in Coshocton County
The deputies were participating in the “Shop with a Cop” program for area children in need when Xue was allegedly seen hiding unloaded gift cards on his body.
January 22, 2024
COSHOCTON COUNTY, Ohio — A man was indicted Monday on 309 felony charges related to a gift card counterfeiting scheme, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Yost’s office said 32-year-old Ming Xue, of Hunan, Fujian, faces 308 felony counts of counterfeiting and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Authorities said Xue is believed to have entered the United States illegally four months ago from China.
Xue’s indictment stems from his arrest on Dec. 5 by Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
The deputies were participating in the “Shop with a Cop” program for area children in need when Xue was allegedly seen hiding unloaded gift cards on his body. According to Yost’s office, the deputies found hundreds of additional gift cards in his vehicle.
He is suspected of participating in a scheme with others who reportedly stole unloaded gift cards, altered them and placed them back on the store’s display racks.
“This man was clearly on a nefarious mission to rip off as many Ohio consumers as possible,” Yost said. “Hats off to the deputies who followed their instincts and got him off the streets before he could inflict more harm.”
Xue will be arraigned Tuesday in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court.
This isn’t the first time a gift card has been reported in central Ohio.
Last October in Worthington, CVS employees called the Worthington Division of Police saying that two men were stealing cards. While investigating, police found thousands of gift cards inside their car.
How the gift card scam works
Thieves take the gift cards from the store, then carefully get the PINs from them before sealing them back up and putting the gift cards back on the shelves.
“They are scanning them, putting them into their computer. They have apps that alert them that that card was activated and immediately they are taking the money and removing it off the gift cards,” Worthington Police Detective Elizabeth told 10TV’s Lacey Crisp in October.
When a consumer goes to use the gift card, there isn’t any money on it.
Coshocton County man indicted for gift-card counterfeiting scheme
by From Dave Yost, Ohio Attorney General
January 22, 2024
COLUMBUS — A Chinese man who entered the country illegally four months ago has been indicted by a Coshocton County grand jury on 309 felony charges related to a gift-card counterfeiting scheme, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Monday.
Ming Xue, 32, of Hunan, Fujian, faces 308 counts of counterfeiting and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. He will be arraigned Tuesday in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court.
“This man was clearly on a nefarious mission to rip off as many Ohio consumers as possible,” Yost said. “Hats off to the deputies who followed their instincts and got him off the streets before he could inflict more harm.”
The indictment against Xue stems from his arrest on Dec. 5 by deputies from the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office who were participating in the seasonal Shop With a Cop program for area children in need.
At the Walmart in Coshocton, Xue was allegedly seen hiding unloaded gift cards on his body. The deputies later found hundreds of additional gift cards in his vehicle.
Xue is suspected of participating in a scheme with others in which they stole unloaded gift cards, altered them and placed them back into display racks. When consumers purchased the altered gift cards, they then allegedly stole the cash placed on the cards.
Authorities say Xue, who is believed to have entered the country in September via California, does not have the required documentation to be in the U.S.
The case is being prosecuted by the office of Coshocton County Prosecutor Ben Hall, with assistance from the Consumer Protection Section’s Economic Crimes Unit, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Ohio Organized Crime Investigation Commission – all part of AG Yost’s office.
“While I will not speak to the facts of a pending case, I will indicate that this is one of the largest indictments in Coshocton County history,” Hall said. “I’d like to thank the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in this matter.”
Indictments contain only allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court.
You can find links to Xue’s indictment here:
华人男子刚偷渡到美国，就被控309项重罪
俄亥俄州总检察长办公室公布，1名数月前从福建偷渡来美的中国籍无证移民，涉嫌偷窃、伪造礼品卡，因此被控309项重罪。当局表示类似骗案相当猖獗，民众使用礼品卡时必须谨慎。
俄亥俄州总检察长约斯特（Dave Yost）在声明中表示，涉案的32岁男子薛明（Ming Xue，音译）来自福州市湖南镇，相信于去年9月经加州偷渡入境，这次因为礼品卡案件落网后，已被起诉308项伪造重罪，以及1项参与贪腐活动的重罪，将于30日在科肖克顿县（Coshocton County）法院受审。
案情透露，薛明作案非常大胆，即便是警察在店里，他也无所顾忌，结果被抓了个正着！
上月5日在商店涉嫌犯案时被捕。当时警方正在区内举办慈善活动，邀请有需要的儿童“与警察一起购物”（Shop with a Cop）。
当时商店里警察挺多，期间有人发现，薛明正在沃尔玛超市盗窃未拆封的礼品卡，警员检查其车辆后，还在他的车上发现数百张礼品卡。
当局相信，薛明涉嫌与其他犯罪同伙一起参与伪造礼品卡骗案，首先从零售商店偷走未拆封的礼品卡，窜改资料再将卡片放回陈列架，消费者不虞有诈购买后，充值时金钱会转入骗徒户口。
总检察长约斯特指责说，薛明窃取大量礼品卡，显然尽其所能希望欺骗更多的俄州消费者，幸而现场警员洞悉案情，在不法集团造成更多伤害之前破案。
俄州历年来已发生多宗同类案件。就在去年10月，当地城镇沃辛顿（Worthington）CVS连锁药店员工报案，表示发现2名男子正在偷窃礼品卡，警方在随后的调查中发现，疑犯车内藏有数千张礼品卡。
执法部门详细解释，骗徒会首先从商店偷走礼品卡，扫描卡上的二维码取得启动密码后，会将密码输入电脑，接著将礼品卡重新密封放回货架，顾客购买礼品卡并存款充值后，歹徒能透过应用程式收到激活提示信息，最终将卡内金额偷走。
消费者直至使用礼品卡时，才会发现款项早已不冀而飞。
警方提醒民众购买礼品卡前，必须仔细检查卡片包装是否有被拆除或窜改的痕迹，购买后也需保留收据和卡片，以便发现问题时，能证明自己付款而且激活服务，一旦察觉可能受骗并蒙受损失，应立即通知发卡公司，并向商业改进局（BBB）、联邦贸易委员会（FTC）、联邦调查局（FBI）及消费者金融保护局（CFPB）举报。
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