Chinese Crime Ring Allegedly Hacked Staples to Mint $5 Million in Gift Cards

A group of hackers allegedly exploited a major retailer’s customer support system to fraudulently generate more than 15,000 gift cards worth over $5 million, then used some of them to buy electronics that were subsequently shipped overseas. The victim was Staples, reports 404 Media, which identified the retailer through clues in a court filing that does not name the company.

According to the underlying court documents, investigators learned of the hack in October 2023, after the retailer reported that hackers…