St. Matthews Police arrested four men over the weekend, all accused of running what police call an organized criminal ring.
On Saturday, October 19, St. Matthews Police were sent to the Kroger at 291 N. Hubbards Lane after a loss prevention employee saw two men place altered gift cards back on the rack.
The four men — 42 year-old Huixing Yu of New York, 35 year-old Tianlong Chen of New York; 40 year-old Lin Chaoming of California, and 47 year-old Zhiqiang Huang of California — are all facing several felony charges including criminal possession of a forged instrument and engaging in organized crime.
According to police, the four men would open the gift card packaging, write down the numbers and steal the money off the cards when they were activated.
St. Matthews Police said they recovered thousands of altered gift cards from various retailers, resulting in millions of dollars stolen.
St. Matthews Police believe the four men took the money seconds after a card is purchased.
Police said check your gift cards, and if possible, buy cards that are kept behind a counter.
All four men involved in the St. Matthews gift card ring were in court on Monday. The judge declined to set a bond amount, saying they are a flight risk.
Source: WDRB
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