GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Michigan man pleaded guilty Monday after he was caught selling Meijer customers' mPerks account information.
Nicholas Mui, 22, of Grand Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of conducting a criminal enterprise. As part of his plea, Mui will forfeit his computer tower and approximately $630,000 in frozen cryptocurrency and cash.
Mui will be sentenced on Sept. 5.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says Mui obtained login credentials from a separate data breach and cross-referenced those credentials for access success with mPerks. He then sold this information.
Those who purchased the login information used customers' accrued mPerks purchase points for their own purchases. Points are earned by shoppers and can be used as cash for future purchases.
Meijer learned about the thefts when customers complained about vanishing points in April and May 2023. This led to an investigation by the Fraud Investigation Section of the Michigan State Police. In September 2023, a search warrant was executed and more than $400,000 in cash and cryptocurrency was seized in connection with the operation.
The company has reinstated the balances that were stolen from customers' accounts. Meijer suffered a loss of more than $1 million as a result of the points theft.
"I commend the hard work and dedication of the FORCE team, Michigan State Police, and Meijer that led to this conviction," Nessel said. "Their complex investigation has been instrumental in securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution and safeguarding a loyalty program used by many across our state."
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