Chinese Nationals Hongying Wang, 53, and Guangwei Gao, 38, pleaded guilty to one felony count of trafficking counterfeit gift cards to a Belleville Target last year. According to court documents, the pair and others retained the access numbers to 6 thousand gift cards, replacing them with altered versions on sale racks at Target.
A buyer would unknowingly load the counterfeit gift cards, and the scammers would have the codes to steal those funds. In January 2023, the pair were arrested and sentenced to one year in prison when a Target security officer observed Wang and Gao placing the fake gift cards on store shelves. The cards were scratched off and covered by stickers to appear untouched.
In addition to Belleville, Target locations throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, and New Mexico were also targeted by the scam.
