Michigan adds gift-card theft to retail crime law

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan bills adding gift card fraud to the state’s Organized Retail Crime Act. The law targets tampering with gift cards or their redemption information, as well as using fraudulently obtained information to get money, goods or services; it covers physical and digital cards. Violators could face up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine and restitution. State officials say the scheme often involves stealing card details, returning the cards to store shelves and draining their balances after a customer buys and activates them.