Airport checkpoint nabs gang with 518 stolen Wal-Mart gift cards

To balance out some of the negative TSA checkpoint stories, I’m always happy when we stumble across some positive stories from the airport. In this story, TSA agents at Nashville airport noticed something strange in the luggage of a passenger, and got the local airport police involved.

Inside the suitcase was a stash of 518 Wal-mart gift cards. When police arrived at the checkpoint, six people were apprehended, but one of the gang members managed to escape and leave the airport. According to Nashville police, the gang used the Wal-Mart gift cards to act as “carriers” for stolen credit card information, and used the cards to purchase other gift cards. The total value of the stolen gift cards purchased could be well over $10,000.

The suspects have been charged with “conspiracy to commit fraudulent use of a credit card and conspiracy to commit identity theft”. Because of the extent of their crime, Nashville police are working with the United States Secret Service on the investigation.

It just goes to show how stupid some criminals are – despite managing to find stolen credit cards, and being “smart” enough to fly all over the country to commit their crime, they didn’t realize that the airport checkpoint agents may find their collection of gift cards a tad suspicious.

Check out these other great stories from AOL Travel

Daily deal – Dell Inspiron Mini 9 for $249

Hear that noise? It’s Dell telling every other Netbook maker that “this means war.

The Inspiron Mini 9 launched several months ago for a little under $350, and just dropped to the silly low price of $249.

Of course, with a price this low there are bound to be a couple of trade-offs.

For starters, you don’t get Windows XP. You’ll have to get used to Ubuntu Linux, which is fine if you just need a basic machine for web and email work.

Also, the machine only comes with 512MB of memory and a weak 4GB of storage space – once again, fine for basic stuff, but close to useless if you want to load movies and music for your next trip.

Still, you get WiFi and a fairly decent 4 cell battery and at just 2.8lbs, it could be your next best travel companion.

You’ll find the Inspiron Mini 9 at the Dell web site, where you’ll also find the other models in the lineup, including machines with Windows XP and of course their 3G enabled version.

(Via: Engadget.com)