Man accused in ‘sophisticated’ theft scheme. He had 5K gift cards, Sacramento deputies say
A man whom Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies saw acting suspiciously at a Target was accused of hoarding more than 5,000 gift cards that stole money victims uploaded on it in a scheme that spanned across the country.
The 38-year-old suspect, Ningning Sun, was observed by deputies during their latest effort to curb retail theft, named Operation Bad Elf. Sheriff Jim Cooper announced Tuesday during a news conference that deputies arrested 285 people accused of stealing from 12 stores in their efforts that lasted from Nov. 27 until Sunday.
Detectives said they saw Sun place gift cards inside his jacket and then replace them with another set that looked almost identical, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. An investigation revealed the man tampered with the bar code and stole money loaded onto the gift card, the news release said.
“Victims are completely unaware it is happening, and the money is often siphoned to an off-shore account within seconds,” deputies said. “Their investigation revealed that the operation spanned across California and several regions nationwide.”
The Sheriff’s Office said residents should be cautious when buying gift cards from retailers and inspect them for signs of damage, such as scuff marks or scratches near the bar code. Deputies also asked any potential victims to come forward because they believed the suspect had swapped gift cards at other stores.
“These operations are very sophisticated and modifications to the gift cards are often virtually undetectable, even to the trained eye,” the news release said.
Sun was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on multiple charges including felony attempted grand theft of more than $400 and misdemeanor obstruction of a peace officer. He’s being held on $1 million bail.
Sun is expected to appear again in court Wednesday.
