A quiet Tuesday at a grocery store in Oshawa shattered when loss prevention officers noticed something deeply unsettling: a man subtly replacing legitimate gift cards with altered ones. The suspect, a 49-year-old identified as being from Ukraine, was swiftly apprehended by Durham Regional Police, but the scale of the operation soon became clear.
Police discovered a staggering number of tampered gift cards in the suspect’s possession and vehicle. These weren’t limited to a single store; the cards represented a wide range of popular retailers, including the LCBO, Home Depot, Petro Canada, and even Amazon and Mastercard. The potential damage to unsuspecting shoppers was immense.
The estimated value of the fraudulent cards exceeded $5000, a sum that could have vanished from the pockets of customers before they even realized they’d been victimized. Roman Tryhubets now faces serious charges, including fraud and possession of property obtained by crime, alongside a breach of recognizance.
Investigators revealed the chillingly simple methods behind this sophisticated scam. Criminals are exploiting a vulnerability in the gift card system, employing two primary techniques to steal funds. The first involves meticulously recording card numbers and PINs, while the second relies on replacing authentic barcodes with fraudulent ones.
The deceptive nature of the scheme is particularly alarming. The tampered cards are carefully resealed, appearing completely untouched to the casual observer. This allows criminals to return the altered cards to shelves, patiently waiting for an unsuspecting customer to activate them.
Activation is the critical moment. Once a customer purchases and activates a compromised card, the funds are instantly drained by the perpetrator, leaving the buyer with nothing. The speed and efficiency of the theft make it incredibly difficult to trace and recover the stolen money.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this incident, or similar occurrences, to come forward. Detective Constable Azzano of the Financial Crimes Unit can be reached at a dedicated phone number, and Durham Regional Crime Stoppers offers a confidential avenue for reporting, potentially with a cash reward for valuable tips.
