A merchant's alert in central Greenwich led plainclothes officers to arrest a New York man on more than 20 charges tied to an organized credit card fraud ring, the Greenwich Police Department said Saturday, July 19.

Chencai Xie, 40, of Fresh Meadow, N.Y., attempted to make purchases using a digital wallet loaded with at least three different cards, all of which were declined, according to police. A co-conspirator remained on a phone call throughout the transactions, police said.

Officers from the department's Organized Retail Crime Activity unit, known as ORCA, were already conducting plainclothes operations targeting organized retail theft in central Greenwich when the merchant flagged the suspicious activity.

Police said they recognized the pattern as consistent with tactics used by what law enforcement calls Chinese Organized Criminal Groups, or COCGs. These groups use mirrored digital wallets through apps like "Z-NFC" to make unauthorized purchases with stolen card data.

When Xie got into a nearby vehicle, investigators stopped him. During an on-scene interview, Xie admitted he did not know whose credit cards he was using and said he had been told to download an application to purchase specific items while staying in constant contact with another individual, police said.

His charges include racketeering, payment card theft, identity theft in the third degree, criminal impersonation, and multiple counts of conspiracy and larceny-related offenses. Bond was set at $25,000. Xie is scheduled to appear Monday, July 27, at Stamford Superior Court.

The arrest is the latest organized credit card fraud case on Greenwich Avenue. In February, Greenwich police arrested three New York men on a combined hundreds of charges tied to the same type of scheme. One suspect, Jian Lin, 38, of Flushing, faced 487 counts after officers observed him using multiple tap-to-pay methods to buy gift cards, according to Greenwich Time. His bond was set at $150,000.

Separately, the ORCA unit responded to a larceny near 151 Greenwich Ave. in early July. That case involved two suspects who fled on foot; one was caught after a pursuit. Police have not said whether it was connected to the same fraud pattern.

Nationally, the schemes are drawing federal attention. Adam Parks, an assistant special agent in charge with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, told CNBC on Thursday, July 17, that "hundreds of individuals at any one time" are running similar fraud operations across the country. HSI's Project Red Hook, which targets gift card fraud tied to Chinese organized crime groups, has led to at least 239 arrests since January 2024.

The co-conspirator in Xie's case has not been identified or arrested.

Residents who observe suspicious retail transactions can contact the Greenwich Police Department's non-emergency line at 203-622-8004 or call 911 if a crime is in progress.