Four Arrested in Texas-Arkansas Gift Card Tampering Investigation
The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center led a multi-agency investigation that broke up an organized gift card tampering operation operating across Texas and Arkansas, with four suspects arrested during two operations in Sugar Land and Tyler [1]. Investigators seized hundreds of tampered gift cards tied to more than $100,000 in potential losses from a single day of activity [1]. In the scheme, cards are taken from store display racks and the account number and PIN under the protective sticker are recorded before the value loaded by customers is stolen [1]. Separately, a TX FCIC investigation begun in December 2025 into a debit card skimming operation in the San Antonio area led to the conviction and two-year prison sentence of Romanian national Cristain Aron Broinas, with more than 240 skimming devices, 773 re-encoded payment cards and 12 fraudulent identification documents seized [2].
Sources
- tdlr.texas.gov · Four Arrested as TX FCIC Dismantles Multi-State Gift Card Tampering Ring Sep 14, 2026
- tdlr.texas.gov · TX FCIC Investigation Leads to Prison Sentence for Romanian National Involved in Debit Card Skimming Case Sep 14, 2026
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