Halton cops break up gift-card scheme, arrest two Mississauga men
· Toronto Sun
Halton Regional Police announced the arrest of two Mississauga men accused of a scheme involving pre-purchased gift cards.
Police said they received a complaint in December 2025 concerning a suspected fraud that occurred at a Walmart Supercentre in Burlington.
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The investigation began after an unidentified man was allegedly seen removing gift cards from his pockets and placing them onto a display rack in the store. The individual was subsequently seen selecting additional gift cards, concealed them and exited the store without activating or purchasing the gift cards.
The scheme allegedly involved placing compromised gift cards onto retail display racks and later monitoring the cards for activation by unsuspecting customers. Once funds were loaded onto the cards at purchase, the suspect redeemed the balances before the purchaser could use them.
Casting a wider net
In March, Halton’s Project Reload was initiated by the Financial Crimes Unit following an investigation into the aforementioned male’s suspected involvement in an organized gift card fraud scheme operating throughout Ontario.
Through investigative efforts, police said the suspect was identified and a vehicle believed to be connected to the offences was located.
The investigation also identified suspected fraudulent activity in numerous regions, including Halton, Hamilton, Brantford, Niagara, Toronto, Peel, Durham, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, York, and Barrie.
Ongoing surveillance revealed that the suspect was actively and systematically placing gift cards onto retail display racks at various locations, cops said.
During the course of the probe, investigators seized a quantity of gift cards and loaded them with varying monetary values. Last month, investigators allege funds from several of the monitored cards had been redeemed to purchase various goods.
On May 12, police said members of the Fraud Project Team executed three search warrants in Mississauga.
Multiple items seized
Among the 17 items seized in the search included a 2012 BMW X3 SUV, 5,700 prepaid gift cards, 137 bottles of alcohol with an approximate value of $11,000, a MacBook, a Sig Sauer P226 pellet gun and various amounts of high-end watches, jewelry and sunglasses.
Giorgi Khandolishvili, 48, of Mississauga, was charged with seven offences including fraud over $5,000, two counts of fraud under $5,000, forgery, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and possession of instruments for forgery.
Jevgenij Piskunov, 40, of Mississauga, was also charged with seven offences including fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, forgery, and property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Both of the accused were released on an undertaking with a future court date in Milton.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Halton Regional Police Services Financial Crimes Unit at 905-825-4777. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).