Tips to Protect Yourself From Holiday Gift Card Scams
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- Thieves stealing money off of gift cards are keeping lots of shoppers on edge this holiday season. Authorities say scammers copy the bar code or replace it with a fake one. Then when you pay for the card at the register, the full value of the card goes to the scammer. Across the U.S., gift card-scam victims are sharing stories to protect others this holiday season. Target tells Inside Edition they are doing all they can to prevent these scams and continue to educate their employees on how to spot the tampering of gift cards.
Why don't they just keep the gift cards locked up in a display case at the customer service cointer? That way they can't scan them easily. When someone wants to buy one, a customer service rep can unlock said case and assist the consumer. Alternatively, customers can buy electronic gift cards.
exactly what i was thinking!, i mean they lock up makeup and stuff but they cant lock up gift cards?
@@latte785a lot of people have been complaining about their everyday products being locked up due to the thieving/stolen items. Which is a bummer because usually stores don’t have that many workers on the floor with keys. Unfortunately this is the world we’re living in (well, in USA mainly cos I haven’t heard about shampoo being locked up anywhere else but USA 😂)
Our walmart did this with pokemon cards. You can only buy them at the customer service desk. I think it would be a good idea to put them behind there.
A lady got scammed by a Walmart employee. She went to customer service, got her gift cards and the employee switched them without her knowing.
Yeah right the one thing they do lock up is everything else but those
This is not a scam. This is stealing, which is a crime and anyone who is found doing this should be arrested and charged immediately.
Too bad we don’t live in that world anymore, it’s a joke!
Time for stores to lock up all gift cards behind the counter or behind a locked case.
I know it’s a great inconvenience to customers and employees, but it has to be done for the protection from gift card scams.
I like your pfp. :)
ONLY IN THE USA
Really a sad and dangerous time now and not surprised about that.
Yet another "Please Ask for Assistance" Scenario we've all been there
@@GamingLiveHDChannelPH Really can also see that happening business can really seem to be giving the run around.
Costco came prepared years ahead of this now that I'm thinking about it. In order to purchase a gift card you take the cardboard card to the register and you purchase it. Then you take your receipt to the merchandise pickup and you get the actual gift card LOL. Years ahead of it's time haha.
I despise the lowlifes that do this and ruin others' joy. It happened with a gift card I had given to my mom. Although I bought it at Walgreen's, it was a gift card for Macy's. Of course I saved my receipt, but Walgreen's couldn't do anything. Luckily Macy's was able to cancel out the gift card I had given to my mom and replaced it with a new one.
It’s ashame people work hard, inflation is high as hell, and it’s just terrible that one has ti even worry this much about scammers.
Really bad news all over and as the misfortune doesn't keep going along with disasters.
It happened last year to me trying to get gift cards for my relatives. 😓
Not even giving gifts to my relatives this year because I just can’t afford it.
Here's a tip: Don't buy targeted gift cards. Go to your bank and get a Visa gift card. You can spend it in any store and anywhere online and the best part is thieves aren't going into banks and robbing the bank of their gift cards.
But banks do rob us tho sooooo
I've never seen gift cards sold at banks. I have at other places, and Visa adds on a card usage fee on top of the cost of the actual gift card amount; usually about five bucks or so.
Yet...
@@loveforeignaccents
Yeah, I'm not wasting $5
@@Former_Pastor Me either.
Anyone caught doing this 5 years mandatory in Jail. They might change their mind on doing this.
Isnt it weird and unbelievable, manufacturers of this gift cards or the companies that own them dont see the flaws? Its like they intended this to happen.
*Isn't
Yup. In Canada most gift cards don’t have a sticker covering the code but a shiny layer which you scratch off like a scratch and win. Unfortunately the barcode isn’t covered in most cases but at least there’s some protection
They need to start keeping them in a locked case at the customer service counter.
At the grocery store where I work did a good job keeping an eye out and making sure the customers weren’t scamming it.
I agree with below comments. Lock up the gift cards at the stores.
No need for gift cards. Just give cash. It's a better present. The recipient can spent it anywhere he or she wants.
Lmfao
Merry Christmas kids from uncle Steve...stouffers pot pies and cash for everyone
My opinion for retailers is to remove the gift card from where people can access to it
It seems like the stores don’t care about protecting us or they would just lock them up. Everything of any value is already locked up, what’s the big deal? I had already purchased two gift cards for Christmas gifts before I heard of these scams, and I’m going to hope for the best and hope the stores will reimburse me if anything is wrong, but I think this will be the last time I buy gift cards until the stores start locking them up.
Sometimes you see gift cards display near the doors entry. Anyone can just grab a few & run off. I always thought that makes it easy for criminals 🏃♂️
They're not valid until activated; in other words, someone has to put money on them.
Yeah, just like the other commenter said, you're grabbing NOTHING dude. Same with empty boxes of games or electronics.
@@DecrepitBidenthe criminals doing this aren’t grabbing nothing, though. They grab a bunch, take them home and put new barcodes on them and put them back in the store later.
@@durrrrl3435 oooooooo smart
This goes for any gift card but they will not be activated until they're scanned and purchased at the register
Former cashier here. When people would buy gift cards, I would give them an activation status receipt. If the card didn't work, the customer would bring it back.
These should have been locked up from the get-go.
They need to lock these giftcards up! Just like how they lock up deodorant and other smaller items!!!
Why don't they lock up the gift cards like they do the razor blades?
At the supermarket I work at, any gift card transactions of over $500 always take place at the customer service desk to make sure nobody gets scammed.
Most people don't buy a gift card for more than $500 though, sweetheart.
@@loveforeignaccents this is absolutely true.
This can be fixed by putting gift cards behind the counter like cigarettes...
As a cashier, I always tell people not to buy gift cards.
Just got a starbucks gift card for my teacher and inspected thoroughly.... Still feel scared he has no value on the card if it was a scam card :(
Call the number on the card to check the balance, if it’s still there, then it’s most likely safe.
Gee whiz, looks like Christmas is now peak hour of the criminal underworld. With the amount of expensive gifts being bought like toys, jewellery, gift cards, anything that can make big bucks especially at a pawn shop, it seems some will do whatever it takes to get money....
They need to package them better like Sam's Club.
stores should keep all kinds of gift cards locked up in a display case
Yeah, so eventually the whole GD store is behind a case lol get real
That's annoying to wait for someone to unlock it
@@matthewwelsh294better than people trying steal the codes the moment you buy then activate it.
Remember when clickbait channels do fake gift cards giveaways?
oh no
Solution: Don't buy gift cards period!
I hate to receive a gift card for a place that I never go.
Put that $50 inside of an envelop and the recipient will certainly have a better use for that money.
Walmart in New Albany Ms. Is the worst place to buy gift cards. They've been ripping people off for over a year now.
RE: Sticker. I have bought some gift cards at Walgreens that have a sticker on the back side that covers the bar code. The cashier needs to remove the sticker so that money can be added on to the gift card. It’s very difficult to remove the sticker without it falling apart.
Maybe they need to keep them behind customer service.
My received a Target gift card from her co-worker and it was empty 😩 I’ve been sending e-gift cards for years now. I’m in Sacramento (county) as well
Who's my
@@tarik4684 It's a mystery... 🕵♀🕵♂
I don't understand why they would bother repackaging it and returning it to the store, after stealing the bar code to use for themselves. why would they bother to do this?
Because the consumer has to pay for the card to activate it. Once active, the scammer uses the value on the card.
Is why gift cards should be behind the counter in a lockbox
And then what? Pretty soon the whole GD store will be behind the counter
$200,000 from stolen giftcards is INSANE
Just place someone at the gift card sections so people don’t attempt it
You can always go to stores that make you go to the cashier for gift cards.
Why don't ppl just buy gift cards online?
“Doing everything they can to prevent these scams” Target wouldn’t even work with the police who caught the guy in the video showed
That’s why I will only buy them from behind the customer service counter
I already decided. No more purchasing any gift cards ever. Can't get scam now.
Tech Support Scammers favourite, beware
Whenever I buy gift cards, I just try to get some assistance with it.
Here is a ideal, have the real gift cards locked up, and on the sales floor have a fake card that you take to the counter to get the actual gift card, that is what they do with certain OTC medications.
They should tell the public not to buy the gift cards and just give the cold hard cash and call it a day
Oh, that's too logical.
When has humans been known for common sense.
Cash is definitely the way to go 👈
@@SUGAR_XYLERbro gift cards were a thing years ago but because of scammers, they had had to ruin it for people that just wanted to give gifts now it’s a thing of the past. 😢
I could imagine they can just beat the system by inventing a removable paint in the future
Thieves will do anything to get what they want before we do. So we better be careful because we might be next to get scammed.
Maybe the stores simply put the cards behind the counter at customer service n they have to load the card right then n there too. No more leaving them hanging up like that and out for any and everyone to be able to grab n then go n put back later so they can steal🤷🏻♂️……just a thought….
this has been happening all year long for so long. and no you do not get refunds even if you got scammed. don't listen to the advice about that. Just buy your gifts on certified websites by the merchants until stores start locking up their gift cards.
I don't need a tip, nobody gives me a gift 😭😭
Damn, that’s rough.
same man
💀
Bro I’m not gonna lie, as a child I wanted kid open these gift cards for toy store, and I didn’t even realise what I was doing 💀. Crazy thing is, no one found out
Say what now?
just do it online. smh
A lot of older folk recipients don't want to deal with that kind of stuff.
That's why they're getting scammed.@@loveforeignaccents
The very best advice. DON'T EVER BUY THESE THINGS. It's real simple. I have never bought one, and I have never redeemed one either. I don't worry about this.
Best gift is cold hard cash and call it a day
If only you told me a year ago, I would’ve taken your advice. 😂
How in the hell someone takes most of the gift cards, steals them, then takes them back and puts them back on the rack and not get caught.
I’m Hispanic…with the big mustache straight outta of east La and I get followed thru out target. This is crazy to me that target and Walmart don’t do nothing about it
Minimum wage employees
I buy them online through email and then forward. Problem solved
A lot of older folks can't deal with that sort of thing.
Wow I had no idea that was possible.
I never use gift cards anyway
Thats y i never buy gift cards haha
Just give money
Oh wow I. Didn’t now that
just grab one from the back 💀
And a pink lighter, too 😜
Only get gift digital from the store
Okay so that barcode sticker is a dead giveaway.
They should only allow purchases made with debit credit card! Bad business!
Recently situation $200 scam
So how do they use the codes and get the cash they just use the code active it and then transfer the funds or how
They don’t get cash from them, they use them to buy stuff in the store. They also sell them to people for less than what is loaded onto the card.
Wait doesn’t the cashier activate the card when you buy it?
No. It activates when you buy it. The cashier doesn’t do anything special.
I had that happen to me. I was on the receiving side of a $100 Visa. Gratefully; the company was pretty good about it but it sucked for sure.
That happen to me a week ago I got the gift card looks like I lost my money
Just give cash. It's accepted everywhere. Avoid the drama. U still have to pay cash for the card. Easy solution for me this yr. Cash money baby
Just buy the item or zelle them the money lol
At this point mind as well lock up the whole store and just put in a drive through. It went from can i pay next time because I forgot my wallet kindness, to locking up gift cards that don’t even work yet.
For real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU :
Inside Edition. I had no idea this was happening. 💳
This is sad because I get a lot of Gifts cards for Christmas.
I didn't know Jiffy Lube did gift cards
Come on people
This isn't new this happens every year. Why don't you just lock them up since you lock up anything else anyway?
skill issue
we can buy online GCs ... lets do that i think👌👌
We can't have nice things
Yes we can, we just have to start breaking fingers to keep them
@@novajtv true 😂
As a retailer, I can certainly say this: gift cards do make good stocking stuffers but they can also be stocking stuffers for thieves. I buy gift cards occasionally for friends and co-workers but I always inspect the gift cards before I take them to the cash register and when I'm on the way there, I always keep them hidden so no one can see them. Next time you want to get one, remember these tips.
Inspect the gift card and see if it has been tampered with.
Keep the gift card hidden in your basket or shopping cart so the numbers can't be seen
Always keep your activation receipt
Only give gift cards to people you know and trust
After you purchase the gift card, put it in your purse and close your purse up immediately.
I disagree with your last tip. At least you have the barcode number; and if you lose it, you can still use it online or by phone.
@@loveforeignaccents That is true yes.
@@MarissaButts-jh5wh Well, now that you edited your comment, my comment doesn't make sense. 🤡
The crooks grab the cards and take them somewhere where they get the codes on the cards. Then they come back and replace the cards. You get one that has unknowingly been breached..and have the cashier put your hard earned money on it. The crooks can still get that money because they scratched off the necessary codes you need...and they have access then to your money, because they have the codes and you have a piece of plastic wrapped in cardboard.
This is the reason why I hardly ever buy guft cards.
No, it's because you can't find them
Here’s a tip just give Cash
None of these tips helped it still happened
Just order online smh digital way better
Damn
Thanks inside, now these scams will 5x
Bought a gift card for my daughter at Target..noticed they charged tax…at local grocery store..same gift card no tax…
THIS HAPPENED TO ME AND I ALSO LIVE IN SACRAMENTO
Son of a gun
🔎💳
This is hilarious 😂
Time to lock gift cards also
Thags so messed up
This is so low and f****d up 🤦🏻♀️
Protect yourself buy only giving cash.
I can't get some PS money for completing the Gran Turismo World Series because of those scammers really angers me. 💢😠
There gonna now lock up the gift cards😢
Get a job why dont you
This is just annoying 😢
wanna join my free gift card giveaway ahhh thumbnail