The Secret Service and Orlando police busted an illegal operation Wednesday morning involving a local pawn shop and millions of dollars in gift cards.
Three people were arrested for knowingly buying the gifts cards that they were stolen from Central Florida stores and then selling them at A&M Pawn on Orange Blossom Trail.
Orlando police, Secret Service and the statewide prosecutor’s office were on hand for Wednesday’s bust. The Orlando Police Department said it was the culmination of a six-month investigation delving into the trade of stolen gift cards.
Here’s how the scam worked. A crook would steal an item from a local store and then return it to the store, exchanging it for a gift card that they could sell to A&M Pawn for 50 cents on the dollar.
Since 2005, police estimate that totaled between $1 million and $2 million. The pawn shop’s owner, Brad Magdor, and two employees were arrested at the pawn shop Wednesday morning.
Orlando police said more arrests are likely, including one employee who didn’t show up to work Wednesday.
Source: wftv.com
