Halton police charge two Mississauga men in $1M gift card fraud scheme

Halton police have charged two Mississauga men in a gift card fraud investigation that spanned much of the GTHA and southern Ontario.

Detectives launched the investigation in December 2025 after a man was seen removing gift cards from his pockets and placing them on a display in a Burlington Walmart.

The man is accused of then selecting additional gift cards and leaving without purchasing or activating the cards.

In March of this year, police initiated what they called “Project Reload,” which looked into the organized and far-reaching gift card fraud scheme.

It is alleged that similar fraudulent activity was discovered in the following regions:

• Hamilton
• Brantford
• Niagara
• Toronto
• Peel
• Durham
• Kitchener-Waterloo
• Guelph
• York
• Barrie

Through the course of the investigation, authorities seized 5,700 prepaid gift cards, worth around $1 million.

Officers recovered numerous additional items connected to the scheme, including 137 bottles of alcohol worth about $11,000, 487 packs of Belmont cigarettes worth around $8,000, $700 in counterfeit currency, pellet guns and tools for making fraudulent gift cards.

As a result, police arrested 48-year-old Giorgi Khandolishvili and 40-year-old Jevgenij Piskunov, both of Mississauga.

Halton police are offering a few tips to protect yourself from this type of fraud including purchasing cards that are locked or behind a counter, check the integrity of the card you are purchasing (look for scratched off pins or barcodes replaced with stickers) and keep the receipt for your gift card. More tips can be found on the Halton police website.

If you believe you have been scammed, officers say to report it to your local police department, contact the card issuer and notify the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre through their website or by calling 1-888-495-8501.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Halton police at 905-825-4777.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Crime Stoppers website or by calling 1-800-222-8477.

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