Giving a gift card is a popular way to give during the
holiday season. Often stores will have racks of gift cards from different
vendors. However, fraudsters have found a way to steal from you with a gift
card that you have purchased. And the only way you know something is wrong is
when your beneficiary complains to you that there was no money on the gift card
that you gave them.
Here is how the scam works. A crook will either jot down or
swipe the account number of the card in the store. Then, over the few days or
weeks, the crook can check the number over the phone to see if the card has
been activated. When the card is activated the crook quickly goes on a shopping
spree.
To discourage this type of activity, vendors have tried to
design packaging that makes it difficult to tamper with the card. However,
sometimes crooks do lift the information from the card anyway.
Here are some things you can do to reduce your risk of
having a gift card amount stolen,
·
Take a card from the middle of the rack. Often
card scammers will copy numbers from the front or the edges. Afterall, they do
not want to raise suspicions by being too obvious.
·
Check any packaging for signs of tampering. Some
card scammers are very good, so don’t be embarrassed to be picky about the card
that you choose. Also, many gift cards have PINs that are masked on the card. Be
sure to check the card to see if the masking has been scratched off.
·
Purchase the gift card online directly from the
vendor.
Scambusters:
GiftCards.com:
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