14 DAY TRIAL // A new card-related scandal affects Target Corporation, as law enforcement arrested an individual that managed to counterfeit REDcards issued by the retailer and make purchases worth $200,000 / €152,000.
A REDcard is issued by Target for purchases at its locations. It can be used to pay for products, either online or directly at the retailer’s stores.
The company provides both a debit and a credit card for making the payments. The former works like a check and draws the funds from an existing checking account; it offers the advantage of cash withdrawals of up to $40 / €30 at the checkout in store.
Details about counterfeiting the cards are scarce, but according to News10, which obtained the law enforcement affidavit, the individual carried out the fraud by figuring out Target’s credit card sequencing system, which allowed him to clone and use them at the retailer’s stores.
It appears that the scheme was first detected in January this year, and a suspect named Boone B. Khoonsrivong was tracked down in April. During the investigation, he allegedly told the police that he had a degree in computer science.
The REDcard counterfeiting operation is said to affect the accounts of hundreds of Target customers.
As the operation grew bigger, Khoonsrivong is said to have created a crew that would make purchases in Stockton, Lodi and other Target locations in Central Valley.