2 Latvian men arrested in Naples for statewide gift card fraud scheme

INVESTIGATION AND WHAT EXACTLY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR. SO 2 MEN ARE IN JAIL AFTER THEY CONFESSED TO BEING PART OF A FRAUD RING INVOLVING GIFT CARDS. THIS IS ACCORDING TO NAPLES POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WHO WOULD WALK INTO STORES STILL GIFT CARDS LIKE THESE, THAT YOU MAY HAVE IT ALL AND COPY ALL THE INFORMATION BEFORE PUTTING THEM BACK ON THE SHELF. NOW, ONCE SOMEONE BUYS THE GIFT CARD, THEY GET THE MONEY. ABC SEVEN'S MADISON ADAMS IN THE STUDIO EXPLAINING FURTHER HOW POLICE CAUGHT ONTO THESE SUSPECTS. >> DETECTIVES SAY THE 2 MEN FROM LATVIA CONFESSED TO BEING PART OF A MUCH LARGER FRAUD RING CLAIMING THEY WERE SENT BY SOMEONE THEY'VE NEVER MET TO STEAL GIFT CARDS FROM 100 DIFFERENT STORES ACROSS FLORIDA. >> BUT THEY WERE TASKED WITH COHEN, AS THEY SAID FROM MIAMI TO TAMPA ALL THE WAY UP TO JACKSONVILLE TO STEAL GIFT CARDS FROM MAJOR RETAILERS. THE NAPLES POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THESE 2 MEN WALKED INTO STORES AND STOLE GIFT CARDS, THEN COPIED ALL THE CARD INFORMATION AND PLACE THE CARDS BACK ON THE STE RACK MONEY. IS IT LOADED ON A GIFT CARD UNTIL YOU BUY IT AT THE CASH REGISTER, CUSTOMERS WOULD BUY THE CARDS, BUT BEFORE THEY COULD USE THEM, THE FRAUDSTERS WITHDREW ALL OF THE FINES. SO PART OF THE WAYS TO PREVENT THESE TYPES OF THINGS FROM SO REALLY JUST >> MAKING SURE THAT THE CARDS ARE DAMAGE. THERE'S NO SIGNS OF A SCRATCH OFF PENS OR TEMPERED PACKAGING. NAPLES POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS A DETECTIVE CAUGHT THE SUSPECTS IN THE ACT WEDNESDAY AT WALGREENS AND PUBLIX ON US. 41 IN NAPLES. HE PULLED THEM OVER IN FOUND $15,000 WORTH OF GIFT CARDS INSIDE THE CAR GAVE CONFLICTING STATEMENTS AS TO HOW LONG THEY WERE. >> YOU HAD IN THE COUNTRY SO. >> TO ADD TO SAY HOW LONG THIS ONGOING EVENT OCCURRED, WE DO NOW. >> THE MEN ARE IN THE NAPLES JAIL FACING CHARGES FOR FRAUD AND CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FRAUD. >> THE NAPLES POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THE LIKELY PARTNER WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ALSO USE STATE FEDERAL ASSETS TO CATCH OTHER PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS SCHEME. WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW

Two Latvian men were arrested in Naples on Wednesday after confessing to their involvement in a gift card scheme across Florida.Detectives with the Naples Police Department said they noticed two men, later identified as Kirils Gula and Maksims Slapins, acting suspiciously near the gift card rack at a Walgreens store, appearing to conceal something.The report states their behavior continued as they drove to a nearby Publix, where they parked in a low-visibility spot, entered the store and exited without making any purchases.Detectives said the pattern repeated at another Walgreens, raising further suspicion.The detective conducted a traffic stop on their vehicle after noticing its expired tag. When asked for identification, Gula initially claimed not to have any, stating he had only been in the U.S. for 30 days.However, the report states investigations revealed he had been in the country for four months. Gula later provided a Latvian passport and consented to a search of the vehicle.Inside the car, authorities said they found multiple gift cards in the center console with receipts indicating they had been purchased with various debit cards.The report states they found a cooler bag containing an additional 176 gift cards, valued at approximately $15,000. Each card was labeled with an address, marking the locations from which they had been stolen.During questioning, detectives said Gula and Slapins confessed to participating in a larger fraud operation spanning multiple Florida cities, including Miami, Tampa, and Jacksonville.The scheme involved stealing gift cards, replacing them with fraudulent barcodes and returning them to store shelves. Once unsuspecting customers purchased and activated the cards, the funds would be redirected to a crime syndicate’s bank account.Gula and Slapins were arrested and are facing charges of scheme to defraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. Gula also faced an additional charge for driving without a license.Get More from the free ABC7 News app for the latest news and weather alerts.

NAPLES, Fla. —

Two Latvian men were arrested in Naples on Wednesday after confessing to their involvement in a gift card scheme across Florida.

Detectives with the Naples Police Department said they noticed two men, later identified as Kirils Gula and Maksims Slapins, acting suspiciously near the gift card rack at a Walgreens store, appearing to conceal something.

The report states their behavior continued as they drove to a nearby Publix, where they parked in a low-visibility spot, entered the store and exited without making any purchases.

Detectives said the pattern repeated at another Walgreens, raising further suspicion.

The detective conducted a traffic stop on their vehicle after noticing its expired tag. When asked for identification, Gula initially claimed not to have any, stating he had only been in the U.S. for 30 days.

However, the report states investigations revealed he had been in the country for four months. Gula later provided a Latvian passport and consented to a search of the vehicle.

Inside the car, authorities said they found multiple gift cards in the center console with receipts indicating they had been purchased with various debit cards.

The report states they found a cooler bag containing an additional 176 gift cards, valued at approximately $15,000. Each card was labeled with an address, marking the locations from which they had been stolen.

During questioning, detectives said Gula and Slapins confessed to participating in a larger fraud operation spanning multiple Florida cities, including Miami, Tampa, and Jacksonville.

The scheme involved stealing gift cards, replacing them with fraudulent barcodes and returning them to store shelves. Once unsuspecting customers purchased and activated the cards, the funds would be redirected to a crime syndicate’s bank account.

Gula and Slapins were arrested and are facing charges of scheme to defraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. Gula also faced an additional charge for driving without a license.

Get More from the free ABC7 News app for the latest news and weather alerts.

2 Latvian men arrested in Naples for statewide gift card fraud scheme

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