Ring Charged in TJ Maxx Case

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A ring of 10 alleged identity thieves was arrested here and charged with using credit card numbers believed stolen from TJX Cos., the parent of TJ Maxx, to buy more than $8 million worth of gift cards and electronic. The suspects used the stolen credit card data to manufacture phony credit cards with magnetic stripes containing the real account information at dozens of credit unions and banks to but expensive electronics at Wal-Marts and its affiliated Sam’s Clubs, police said. The suspects bought Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club gift cards totaling as much as $30,000 at a time, in $400 denominations, without raising any flags. The police’s $8 million loss estimate would make the case one of the largest identity thefts among a growing number of cards schemes. TJX, the Framingham, Mass.-based parent of TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and HomeGoods, reported the large-scale theft of its data in January, prompting dozens of credit unions and banks to recall, then reissue hundreds of thousands of cards. HarborOne CU, located in nearby Brockton, replaced well over 100,000 cards. Cards analyst said the case represents a scheme known as “white-carding,” where real account numbers are attached to phony or blank cards. These cards are typically used at self-check-out terminals and ATMs where users are not monitored closely.