(May 1, 2025) — On April 30, 2025, at around 2:30 PM, officers with the Cape Coral Police Department responded to a business in the 1600-block of Del Prado Blvd S, Cape Coral, Florida for a suspicious circumstance.
A Loss Prevention Officer at the location pointed to a black Kia Forte that was driving away and told officers the driver placed several compromised/counterfeit gift cards on their racks. An officer was able to stop the vehicle in the parking lot, and identified the driver as Sebastian Garcia Gallego (DOB 06/12/1999), of Miami Gardens.
The investigation on scene revealed that Loss Prevention Officers watched the suspect (via CCTV) go into the store, then conspicuously place numerous compromised gift cards throughout their gift card rack. This is a common scam in which suspects will preciously steal the gift card account number and pin information, then put them back on the rack. Once the gift cards are legitimately purchased, the suspects will then remotely drain the funds from the cards and leave the unsuspecting customer with a zero balance.
Garcia Gallego is believed to have placed over 50 gift cards on the gift card rack, which ranged in price from $20 to $500 dollars. Managers at the store removed all gift cards from the display.
The investigation revealed Garcia Gallego visited other businesses in Cape Coral to commit the same crimes. Detectives in the Economic Crimes Unit searched the suspect’s car and found a large bag with over 200 compromised gift cards. These gift cards were packaged in small bundles and placed into several numbered plastic bags. These were submitted into evidence. Several of the gift cards located at both the business and in the vehicle showed signs of being tampered with. Gallego Garcia confessed that he gets paid to drive to a new city every week to distribute hundreds of compromised gift cards. He also admitted to distributing hundreds of gift cards at additional locations in Cape Coral. The Cape Coral Police Department has been able to identify these locations, and we are currently working on notifying management at these stores. We are also working to notify neighboring agencies.
Sebastian Garcia Gallego (DOB 06/12/1999) was taken to the Lee County Jail on the following charges:
–1 count in violation of F.S.S. 812.014(2)(c)(1), Larceny (Grand Theft less than $5K)
–1 count in violation of F.S.S. 817.034(4)(a)(3), Fraud (Defraud to Obtain Property with Value less than $20K)
–1 count in violation of F.S.S. 806.13 (1)(b)(3), Property Damage ($1000 or more)
It is always good practice for customers to keep their receipts when purchasing gift cards. That way, if they find themselves in a similar situation, they have proof of purchase.Â
