Texas has arrested three men ahead of the holiday season on suspicion of gift card fraud totaling around $14 million.
The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center arrested three individuals suspected of committing $14 million in gift card fraud. Kristians Petrovskis, Romunds Cubrevics, and Nurmunds Ulevicus were arrested on suspicion of gift card cloning. They were in possession of over 400 gift cards at the time.
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Gift card cloning is the theft of unactivated gift cards from retail store kiosks, followed by opening the gift card packaging, copying the electronic number off the gift card, resealing the gift card packaging, and returning the gift card to the kiosk at the store where the card was stolen. When a consumer purchases the card and loads funds onto the compromised gift card, the criminal checks the card’s balance and depletes the funds before the consumer can use it.
Before acquiring gift cards, consumers should meticulously scrutinize the packaging for any excess adhesive or damage that could suggest that the card has been tampered with.
Texas Penal Code 32.56, a new regulation adopted by the 89th Texas Legislature to combat gift card manipulation, became effective on September 1, 2025.
Petrovskis, Cubrevics, and Ulevicus face a first-degree felony charge of fraudulent possession of gift cards. Two of the males are being held in Dallas County Jail, while one remains in Garland. The three guys told detectives that they stole gift cards from ten retailers every day, seven days a week, since May 2025. They are connected to recent crimes in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Central Texas, and Gulf Coast areas.
The Garland Police Department, the Dallas Police Department CRT/Deployment Team, the Dallas Police Department Fusion Center, the Texas Department of Public Safety – Garland Criminal Investigations Division, and the United States Customs and Border Patrol all contributed to the investigation and arrests.
