Central Texas Police Arrest Man for Credit Fraud, May Be Linked to Target Breach

A man arrested in Georgetown back in December may be connected to a massive data breach that affected millions of Target customers, according to a Williamson County affidavit.

Guo Xing Chen, 40, has been served two arrest warrants for fraudulent use or possession of identifying information.

A Target loss prevention employee called police about Chen, and another unidentified man, who used a stolen card to purchase $700 worth of gift cards at the Georgetown store on Dec. 12, according to an affidavit.

The employee said the name registered on the credit card did not match the customer’s identification.

Chen was found shortly after leaving Target, hiding from officers at a nearby Starbucks, according to an affidavit.

The employee then advised officers that the man used several stolen cards to purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards and iPads the previous day at a nearby Target in Temple. He may have been connected to a similar scheme in Round Rock, according to an affidavit.

An affidavit from Feb. 24 states that Chen may have been involved in the massive Target breach, but on Wednesday police said they could not connect Chen to the breach.

The Georgetown Police Department stated that while Chen’s activities could be connected to the Target breach, there is no indication at this time about where Chen obtained the fraudulent card information.

“It is not believed he was responsible for the initiation of the breach at Target,” according to a press release from the Georgetown Police Department.

Chen also has an outstanding felony warrant for credit/debit card abuse in Arkansas, according to an affidavit.

He is currently being held on a $40,000 bond in Williamson County jail.

The investigation is ongoing. 

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