Just In Time For The Holidays: Police Warn Of Gift Card Scam
by Alex Lloyd Gross
A lot of people are difficult to shop for. So the best thing people can get them is a gift card to where the recipient likes to shop. Let them pick out what they want and the money on the card goes towards the purchase, or maybe even makes the purchase itself. not so fast. There is a scam out there that leaves people feeling cheated and empty.
Here is how police say it works. The Offender(s) will discreetly take gift cards off the rack in the stores, neatly open or slightly adjust the gift card package to reveal the card numbers and pin-codes, copy this information, and return the gift cards to the racks. When a Victim purchases one of these unknowingly compromised gift cards at the store, activates and adds value to the gift cards, the Offender(s) will use the available funds.
When the person that gets the gift card goes to use it,there is no money on it. Here is how police say to guard against it.
Check all gift card packages for tampering or if it was opened. The Visa Vanilla gift card package does not need much tampering to reveal the secret pin-code, the package does not need to be opened. The Apple gift card package needs to be opened, but this can be done somewhat neatly. If a gift card is suspected to have been tampered with or opened, do not buy it and bring it to the store manager or service desk.