Chinese National Indicted on Federal Charge in Gift Card Fraud Case

A Chinese national has been indicted in New Hampshire for his role in a fraudulent gift card operation.Ren Jinbin, 38, of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire announced on July 23.According to the indictment, Ren was accused of engaging in the fraudulent scheme from September 2021 to January 2024.During that time, Ren and several other Chinese nationals in the United States and elsewhere allegedly obtained gift cards that had been fraudulently acquired through romance fraud, elder fraud, hacking, and other scams, according to the indictment. They subsequently used the gift cards to purchase high-value electronics from brands such as Apple and had them shipped to New Hampshire to take advantage of the state’s lack of sales tax, prosecutors alleged.The electronics were shipped to a warehouse operated by Ren in Salem, New Hampshire, before the items were “consolidated and shipped to international co-conspirators” located primarily in China, according to the indictment.Prosecutors said they communicated on WeChat, a Chinese messaging platform, to coordinate purchases, sales, shipments, and payments, including those made in cryptocurrency.Law enforcement searched Ren’s warehouse in 2024, the U.S. attorney’s office said.“Apple products located in the defendant’s warehouse were traced to gift cards, many of which were purchased and activated throughout the United States but subsequently redeemed in China through online orders,” the indictment reads.“Gift cards associated with victims of gift card fraud or theft across multiple states were used to purchase iPhones found in the defendant’s warehouse.”If convicted, Ren faces up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or double the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.Ren’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.Ren was linked to a similar case in 2025 involving Chinese nationals Wu Naxin, Jiang Mengying, and Chen Mingdong. In April last year, Wu, Jiang, and Chen were sentenced to between 24 and 60 months in prison for their roles in a gift card fraud scheme that also involved purchasing electronic products and shipping them to China.According to a sentencing memorandum filed by Jiang’s lawyer in April 2025, electronics products obtained by Wu, Jiang, and Chen “were delivered to Ren’s warehouse for shipment.”In the 2025 case, prosecutors said China-based organized crime groups had fraudulently acquired more than $100 million in gift cards and transmitted the card data to Chinese nationals operating U.S.-based cells. Wu, Jiang, and Chen were members of one such cell in New Hampshire.Wu was responsible for $1.4 million in fraud, Jiang for $3 million, and Chen for $400,000, according to prosecutors.“[Organized] criminal elements in China have obtained fraudulent gift cards through multiple means, including cyber intrusions into U.S. companies, romance fraud, elder fraud, and theft,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing for the 2025 case.As an example of cyberintrusions, prosecutors described a 2023 cyberattack on a U.S.-based multinational company in which hackers impersonated employees and fraudulently generated 15,000 gift cards worth about $5 million. Although the company canceled most of the fraudulent cards, criminals—including individuals from the cell operated by Wu, Jiang, and Chen—redeemed more than 4,600 cards worth about $425,000 at U.S. retailers, including Target, Sephora, and Lowe’s, within 24 hours of the hack.Prosecutors noted in the same court filing that criminals also carried out a common gift card scam in which thieves stole gift cards from retail display racks, recorded the card numbers and PINs, then returned the cards to store shelves. Once unsuspecting customers loaded money onto the tampered cards, the criminals drained the funds before the buyers could use them.Other Chinese nationals have also been accused of engaging in gift card fraud.Earlier this month, Wang Jun, a Chinese national, was sentenced to 70 months in prison in New York state. According to prosecutors, from 2019 to 2021, he redeemed more than $2 million in gift cards purchased by victims throughout the United States.