Community: Protect Yourself From Gift Card Scams

[Nick]

Community: Protect Yourself From Gift Card Scams

Dear Nick

With the Holidays fast approaching gift cards are popular gift that people like to purchase for loved ones, coworkers, teachers, etc and The  Police Department would like to remind you to be aware of gift card scams.  Suspects have found a way to steal the information off the gift card by using a hand held scanner that can easily read and store the gift card serial numbers then returns it to the sales rack.  Once you purchase and activate the gift card, the suspect will then use the funds to purchase items online.

 

A more sophisticated scam surfaced recently involving suspects contacting people selling unwanted gift cards.  While on the phone with the seller, the suspect asks the seller to conference in the retailer, enter the card number and confirm its validity.  What that suspect is actually doing is recording the touch tones on the phone when the card number is given, then using the tones to figure out the number on the gift card and using it to make fraudulent purchases.

 

The  Police Department wants to lessen your chance of becoming a victim so keep these tips in mind before buying gift cards for the holidays:

 

·        Be vigilant.  While most store employees are trustworthy, some have been known to use hand held scanners to swipe the magnetic strip info or even keep the activated card and hand you a blank one.

·        Ask a cashier to confirm the gift card’s value after activation.

·        Do not buy gift cards from online auction sites, or from people wanting to sell unwanted cards.

·        Do not buy gift cards from the publicly displayed rack in the stores; ask for gift cards behind the counter.

·        Always carefully examine both the front and back of the gift card before and after you purchase it.  If the PIN is scratched off or the gift card looks tampered with get another card.

·        Ask the clerk to scan the gift card in front of you.

·        Always keep your receipt.

 

 

 

                                                                                                     

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