3 busted after police take down gift card ‘forgery lab’
Posted February 2, 2023 12:27 pm.
Last Updated February 2, 2023 12:53 pm.
The Toronto Police Service Financial Crimes Unit has arrested three people and seized around $500,000 worth of fraudulent gift cards they allege were doctored in a “sophisticated forgery lab.”
In a release Thursday, investigators said the suspects operated the lab between July 2022 and January 2023.
On Jan. 25, 2023, officers executed search warrants at a business in Toronto and a home in Richmond Hill, allegedly seizing half-a-million-dollars worth of fraudulent gift cards, as well as the equipment used to make and alter them.
Police also say fake government-issued identity documents were found at the locations.
Items allegedly seized during a probe into a gift card scam. HANDOUT/Toronto Police Service
Iouri Perett, 38, and Vitalii Fokov, 35, both of Richmond Hill, were each charged with fraud over $5,000, dealing in altered gift cards and possession of proceeds obtained by crime.
Elizaveta Perett, 34, of Richmond Hill, was charged with possession of proceeds obtained by crime.
The plague of gift card scams was highlighted during the recent holiday season, with one woman taking to social media to expose an elaborate scam that she fell victim to at a Shoppers Drug Mart.
Police advise consumers to carefully inspect a gift card before purchasing it, particularly around the bar code and PIN area and check your receipt to make sure it matches the type of gift card and the serial number.
You should also register the card online as soon as possible and and never share the PIN.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) told CityNews last December that gift cards are also being used in extortion attempts with criminals coercing individuals into paying off some kind of fake debt using the cards.
With files from Erica Natividad
