Tap-to-Pay Scammer Arrested in Utah as Third Case in Weeks

Utah County prosecutors have charged Ye Zhang, 32, of El Monte, California, in connection with a scheme involving the purchase of Nintendo game systems using tap-to-pay methods. The incident marks the third arrest in recent weeks involving similar crimes.

Zhang was charged with money laundering, communications fraud, and unlawful use or possession of a financial card, among other counts. He attempted to purchase Apple and Nintendo electronics using tap to pay with financial cards that did not belong to him at Costco in Spanish Fork on August 21.

When confronted by store security, Zhang ran from the store and drove away. Investigators used License Plate Reader machines to track the vehicle to Provo, West Jordan, and eventually Cottonwood Heights. Zhang was also found to have stopped at a GameStop location where he purchased a Nintendo Switch 2 using tap to pay.

Police located Zhang in a Home Depot parking lot. Detectives searched the trunk of his car and found five unopened Nintendo Switch 2 consoles, an unopened Costco bundle, an unopened iPad Pro, an unopened remote control car, and an unopened Lego set.