T. Miller 
BRAINTREE − Two New York City women were arrested after they were found with thousands of unloaded stolen gift cards that are used in a scam that is on the rise across the country, Braintree police said.
According to police, officers responded to a report that two women were taking large amounts of gift cards from the display rack at the CVS on Grove Street on Monday, Dec. 11.
Police said they found the women in their car in the parking lot with 4,617 gift cards from Apple, Nike, Sephora and Visa. The cards filled four plastic bags.
The women, who are from Flushing, New York, were arrested and charged with shoplifting and receiving stolen property, police said.
Police did not say when the two would be arraigned in court.
What do thieves do with the stolen gift cards?
Braintree police said the scam involves criminals removing thousands of gift cards from display racks and then logging the gift card numbers, bar codes and the corresponding PINs under security stickers.
They then repackage the cards and place them back on the shelves in stores.
The thieves run and rerun the card information through databases, so when an unsuspecting customer selects the compromised gift card and loads it with money at the register, the criminals can spend the money online before the gift recipient does.
Anyone who suspects their gift cards have been tampered with, or notices suspicious-looking cards in stores, should contact their local police department.
