Major Gift Card Retail Theft Scam Busted, And More News
Tuesday May 14, 2024
MOORPARK GIFT CARD SCAM BUSTED
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office says they have arrested two Chinese nationals in Moorpark who were allegedly involved in a complex scam to steal money from gift cards.
Detectives say the pair was caught with more than 800 cards taken from several stores.
Investigators say the suspects planned to alter the cards so they would be able to access them remotely and then return the cards to the gift card rack in the stores where unsuspecting victims would buy them.
Once the victims put money in the cards the thieves could then be able to access the card and steal the money.
It’s a tactic called “card draining” and it has resulted in millions of dollars being lost to fraud nationwide.
The two male suspects in their 30’s from China were booked into the Ventura County Jail and then released on bail.
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LARGE NUMBERS OF PELICANS SICK
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says they are seeing an increased number of brown pelicans along the coast, including in Ventura County, getting sick.
They say the numbers involved are much higher than normal.
The sick pelicans are emaciated and some have secondary injuries.
Efforts are being made to get the pelicans to rescue and rehab organizations to deal with the problem that seem to be related to starvation.
Two years ago the same thing happened and nearly 800 pelicans were admitted to wildlife rehab facilities with almost half successfully returned to the wild.
Officials say if you see a sick pelican to not approach or touch it and instead call a local wildlife rescue organization and report it.
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ANNUAL OXNARD PD OFFICER MEMORIAL
The Oxnard Police Department is holding its 25th Annual Memorial Ceremony Wednesday.
It will be on South “C” Street in front of Police Headquarters from 10:30 to 11:30 in the morning and streets in that area will be shut down for the event.
They will be honoring six Oxnard law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice over the years.
The include Constable William Kelley in August of 1921, Officer Albert Gasperetti in April of 1956, Officer Fredrick Clark in October of 1971, Senior Officer John Adair in October of 1980, Officer James O’Brien in December of 1993, and Officer James Jensen Jr. in March of 1996.
The public is urged to attend the event.
