Texas authorities have arrested three Latvian nationals for their involvement in a large-scale gift card fraud scheme that reportedly drained nearly $14 million from unactivated retail gift cards. The arrests follow a months-long investigation into coordinated theft and cloning operations.

The suspects—identified as Christians Petrovskis, Ramuns Tsobrits, and Normoons Olavikas—allegedly targeted retail stores across Texas beginning in May 2025. According to official reports from the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, the group exploited unactivated gift cards, cloning and draining them systematically. Investigators estimate that the operation impacted approximately 10 stores daily.

At the time of arrest, authorities seized over 400 cloned cards, representing the scale and sophistication of the operation. NBC DFW reported that the suspects used advanced techniques to bypass store security systems and exploit weaknesses in gift card activation protocols.

Officials emphasized the role of the Financial Crimes Intelligence Center and local law enforcement in tracking patterns of fraud and coordinating multi-agency operations to apprehend the suspects. The case underscores ongoing challenges in combating high-value financial crimes that exploit both technology and retail systems.

The arrested individuals now face federal charges related to wire fraud, identity theft, and financial crimes, with additional investigations ongoing to determine whether accomplices or similar schemes exist elsewhere in the state.