Illegal immigrants allegedly ran multi-million-dollar gift card fraud scheme hitting stores daily across Texas

Three amerciable immigrants from Eastern Europe person been arrested successful Texas for their alleged engagement successful a $14 cardinal acquisition paper fraud strategy crossed respective states. 

Kristians Petroviskis, Romunds Cubrevics and Nurmunds Ulevicus were arrested by the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC), Fox Austin reported. 

​The men, each Latvian citizens, told investigators that they stole acquisition cards from astir 10 stores each day, 7 days a week, since May, the quality outlet reported. 

They would past cautiously region the packaging. 

MINNESOTA’S SOMALI FRAUD SCANDAL EXPOSES THE HIDDEN COST OF IMMIGRATION

Illegal immigrants Romunds Cubrevics, Kristians Petroviskis, and Nurmunds Ulevicus allegedly ran $14M acquisition paper fraud strategy hitting aggregate stores regular crossed Texas. (FKTBC)

​"The paper is removed, and past the worldly connected the backmost that covers up the numbers to transportation thing oregon activate the paper is past removed truthful that they tin spot it," FCIC Director Adam Colby said. "The numbers that are connected the paper are past programmed into different programme that the criminals are using, which volition present show that card."

Colby said the 3 suspects were successful the United States illegally. 

After the numbers connected the cards are programmed into another, the cards were reassembled to look new, without scratches, and placed backmost onto store shelves for idiosyncratic to buy.

MINNESOTA’S FRAUD SCANDAL WAS ‘SHOCKINGLY EASY’ TO PULL OFF, IS LIKELY WORSE THAN REPORTED: EX PROSECUTOR

​"As soon arsenic it is activated and wealth placed onto that card, the criminals are present alert of it, but they present person the quality to transportation the wealth disconnected of that paper and onto different paper wherever it is past cashed retired oregon utilized to bargain high-end merchandise," said Colby.

At the clip of their arrest, authorities allegedly recovered much than 400 acquisition cards connected them, authorities said. The trio targeted stores successful aggregate cities, including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. 

They are charged with first-degree fraudulent possession of acquisition cards. Fox News Digital has reached retired to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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The apprehension occurred astatine a clip erstwhile fraud involving amerciable immigrants and migrant communities has been enactment nether a microscope. In Minneapolis, national authorities connected Monday launched a monolithic probe into kid time attraction fraud.