Two from New York accused of southern New England retail scam after 4,387 gift cards seized

Chief Sean Corrigan reports that the Narragansett Police Department arrested and charged two people in connection with an alleged gift card scam.

On Thursday, Narragansett Police patrol officers observed suspicious activity outside of Walgreen’s Pharmacy on Woodruff Avenue and stopped two individuals later identified as 36-year-old Zhongzhen Lin of Brooklyn, New York and 26-year-old Chaoyang Lin also of Brooklyn, New York.

A subsequent search of a vehicle occupied by the pair located 4,387 gift cards that had been tampered with.

Through an investigation, officers learned that the Lins were tampering with gift cards on the display rack inside the store.

The Lins are believed to be involved in an organized gift card tampering scheme that involves tampering with gift card packages to steal sensitive information, and then placing the gift cards back on the rack of retail stores to be sold to customers.

The tampering enables funds to be stolen at a later date when the compromised gift cards are activated at a point of sale. Arrests in connection with similar scams have been made recently in Bristol and South Kingstown.

Both Lins were arrested and charged with Forgery & Counterfeiting, Obtaining Property by False Pretenses, and Conspiracy.

The investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.