SEATTLE, Wash. — Five people from Marysville, Kirkland, Lynnwood and Everett were indicted on charges they hacked Target gift cards to the tune of nearly $800,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle says they devised an algorithm to identify a gift card’s bar code and used Target’s automated customer service to find cards with balances.
Investigators say the suspects transferred these balances, then bought and sold items at Target in exchange for bitcoin.
Target changed its gift card system last December in response.