Couple Accused Of Scamming Kohl's Cash Rewards Program Out Of $300,000

[dotnetrockz]

A New Jersey couple is charged with stealing more than $300,000 in merchandise by defrauding the Kohl's Cash rewards program.

Pavan Gurram and Vanaja Gattupalli, who are originally from India, are charged with 10 counts of mail fraud. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if they are convicted.

Gattupalli has been released on bail, but Gurram remains behind bars in Wisconsin. Gurram has offered to put up $100,000 in bail, but prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Milwaukee are opposing his release, saying he is a flight risk back to India. A bail hearing is set for next week.

Gurram's attorney, Michael Cohn, did not return a call for comment.

Kohl's Cash is a loyalty program that gives customers $10 gift cards when they spend $50 at the store or online.

The Menomonee Falls retail chain's program has been highlighted by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as he runs for president. Walker says he was able to get a sweater for $1 using the rewards program.

According to the court documents, the investigation was opened by the FBI after customers complained to Kohl's that they were not able to redeem cash rewards certificates they had received. For instance, a couple reported in November that they were supposed to have $550 in cash rewards. Their account showed only $3, according to the complaint.

Records searches revealed the rewards from thousands of cards were claimed by a computer belonging to Gurram, according to the complaint.

Investigators allege that the couple used cash benefits from more than 7,000 customers between June 2014 and March 2015, using the money to buy merchandise or getting cash by selling the cards to businesses that resell gift cards.

Gurran moved "significant sums of money" to bank accounts in India, according to court documents.

Kohl's Cash program generates a large number of certificates. During the period of the suspected fraud, Kohl's issued about 4 million rewards cash certificates per month.

FBI agents think the defendants seized the Kohl's Cash certificate numbers by using an automated computer process that "located, identified and provided certificate bar code and PIN numbers for rewards cash certificates in a sequential manner."

Kohl's loss prevention team tested the FBI's theory and was able to create an automated process to generate cash rewards numbers and then do a balance inquiry on the website. Using that process, the team was able to get both the certificate number and the current balance for about 3,000 Kohl's Cash certificates — in less than an hour.

A spokeswoman from Kohl's did not immediately return messages for comment.

[superted]

vammoo!! made for each other couple

[simplee]

Baaga ayyindhi...greedy assssholes

[Aryaa]

Lol

[micxas]

veedevado aa code rasina  team member ayuntadu  :3D_Smiles:

[rikki]

sequential order lo petadam enti evadu rasado kani  

[SUBBARAVU]

great post..

[Aryaa]

Photos leva

[SUBBARAVU]

veedevado aa code rasina team member ayuntadu :3D_Smiles:

No from other news sources it looks like trial and error. My guess is: They got one cash certificate, then he tried to see if he can guess a barcode and pin. Once it's successful he used a code to automate the process to generate the barcodes and pins, then test to cash them. Once they fine tune the code everything is automated so he can cash however many he want. The reason he got busted is because only one IP address is cashing all the certificates. That's my theory.

[dotnetrockz]

No from other news sources it looks like trial and error. My guess is: They got one cash certificate, then he tried to see if he can guess a barcode and pin. Once it's successful he used a code to automate the process to generate the barcodes and pins, then test to cash them. Once they fine tune the code everything is automated so he can cash however many he want. The reason he got busted is because only one IP address is cashing all the certificates. That's my theory.

barcodes generate cheyydam antha easy na?

[superted]

Photos leva

google

[Piscop]

Rofl

[Comfort]

 

[puli raaja]

India 10eka 300k tho edava kakkurthi now behind bars

[SUBBARAVU]

barcodes generate cheyydam antha easy na?

yeah trial and error, looking at one certificate code, you guess the pattern then number of digits etc.. so oncw pattern is identified you can generate the barcode but these barcodes are protected by pin code so they have to match that. also they are issues to customers only, so they are basically cashing out other people's certificates. that's the reason it took long to catch them..