Gift cards just the ticket for organized crime / Canwest News Service, 26 Dec 2006

http://digbig.com/4qmqm
Andrew Mayeda
"Those gift cards that countless shoppers will be cashing in are also landing under the Christmas trees of organized-crime groups, who use them as ``virtual currency'' for drug deals and money laundering, according to the RCMP. A recent organized-crime threat assessment for Canada and the United States identified gift cards and prepaid debit cards as one of the tools in the financial-crime kit of organized crime. The assessment was compiled by the RCMP, the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration." [2 pages]