Fraud Scheme Involving Gift Cards Leads to Arrests in Texas
Dec, 29 2025
Three men were arrested in Dallas County, Texas, for allegedly participating in a gift card fraud scheme that has resulted in losses of approximately $14 million. The individuals, identified as Kristians Petrovskis, Romunds Cubrevics, and Nurmunds Ulevicus, are foreign nationals from Latvia. They are accused of cloning gift cards by stealing unactivated cards from retail kiosks, copying their electronic numbers, and then returning the repackaged cards to the kiosks. Law enforcement reported that the suspects claimed they were in the United States specifically to commit crimes, stealing from multiple stores daily since May of the current year. The men were found in possession of over 400 gift cards at the time of their arrest and have been charged with Fraudulent Possession of Gift Cards, a first-degree felony. This incident raises broader questions about the implications of immigration policies and the potential for criminal activities associated with undocumented individuals.