Target cashier accused of giving away $29,000 in gift cards

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — A Target cashier in Peachtree City is under investigation for gift-card fraud.

Police say the cashier loaded more than two dozen gift cards with nearly $1,000 each, but never accepted payment for them.

Officers believe two suspects convinced the woman to do it, telling her they would be able to override the gift-card transaction so Target would never know. Police say that wasn’t true.

"It all happened in one day. It took about 10 or 15 minutes. It's quick. They swipe a card, and don't accept payment. Swipe the next card, and don't accept payment. Over and over again,” investigator Tim Pierson said.

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Police believe it's linked to a bust in Buckhead last week where detectives caught two suspects trying to activate $14,000 in gift cards.

Detectives say some of the cashiers were recruited in the store parking lots. They believe the thieves offered the cashiers a cut if they went along.

“These suspects have contacted employees through social media -- even in the parking lot when employees on break have been approached,” Pierson said.

Target’s security discovered more than $200,000 in fraud at multiple stores, detectives say.

“We will be sharing and cooperating with other agencies that made arrests and comparing video surveillance from our incident to their incidents,” Pierson said.

Cox Media Group