Three Chinese men from New York recently appeared in court in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, facing allegations of tampering with and counterfeiting gift cards. Among them, two were arrested in February, while the third was apprehended in March. The police seized over 6,000 altered gift cards from these individuals.
According to local police, 45-year-old Quanbin Huang and 46-year-old Zhixiong Lu, both from Middletown in upstate New York, are Chinese nationals who also face immigration charges related to their illegal entry into the U.S. from the southern border in 2023. The third man was arrested in Narragansett, Rhode Island.
The investigation began in February when a CVS employee noticed a suspicious man attempting to return a gift card to the store’s shelves. After questioning him, the employee noted the car’s license plate and called the police. Officers soon intercepted the vehicle, detaining both Huang and Lu. Inside the car, they found three boxes containing 1,848 altered gift cards. Additionally, police recovered another 935 modified gift cards from the CVS itself.
In March, 36-year-old Zhongzhen Lin was arrested for similar reasons at a Walgreens in Narragansett. Police discovered 4,387 tampered gift cards in his vehicle.
All three men face charges of forgery, counterfeiting, and conspiracy. After posting bail—Huang at $1,000 and Lu and Lin at $5,000 each—they agreed to be extradited back to New York for trial. Authorities suspect that they are part of a broader retail theft ring specializing in gift card fraud.
South Kingstown Police Chief Matthew C. Moynihan highlighted the increasing issue of organized retail crime, noting that this marks the second time in over a month that members of an international crime organization have been arrested in Rhode Island. He urged the public to be cautious, stating that there could still be thousands of counterfeit or tampered gift cards in stores. To avoid falling victim to similar scams, he recommended buying gift cards online or having store staff retrieve them from behind the counter. Police also called on more victims to come forward and report any suspicious activity.
