Michigan Man Pleads Guilty To mPerks Scam
mPerks is a loyalty program offered by Meijer that gives customers various ways to save money and earn rewards while shopping at Meijer stores.
Last year Meijer customers started to noticed mPerks points were dispersing from their accounts.
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty To mPerks Scam
A 22-year-old Michigan man, Nicholas Mui from Grand Haven, has been charged with multiple felonies for allegedly stealing and selling Meijer mPerks account information in a widespread fraud scheme.
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Mui faces felony counts, including conducting a criminal enterprise, using a computer to commit a crime, and identity theft.
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The scheme, which is believed to have affected hundreds of Meijer customers, involved Mui cross-referencing leaked account and password data from a separate breach of the MyFitnessPal app with mPerks accounts.
He then allegedly sold these mPerks login credentials on the dark web in exchange for cryptocurrency.
Investigators say the fraudulent activity came to light when Meijer customers complained about vanishing points on their accounts in April and May 2023.
The company alerted the Michigan State Police, leading to an investigation in collaboration with the attorney general's organized retail fraud team.
During a search of Mui's home, authorities seized over $20,000 in cash and $460,000 in digital currency wallets.
The corporate loss to Meijer, which has reimbursed affected customers, is estimated to exceed $1 million.
This crime highlights the importance of cybersecurity and password management.
Attorney General Nessel urged consumers to change passwords frequently, use two-factor authentication, and avoid using the same password across multiple platforms.