BEWARE---The Holiday Gift Card Scamby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 30 Nov 2006 08:08 AM I don't know where you live, but if you reside anywhere around the Midwest portion of the United States then you may have heard about a new scam involving gift cards. Thousands of victims have flooded area Better Business Bureaus with their tragic stories of being ripped off. Here's how the scam works: Scammers go to a store where gift cards are hanging on a rack. They then copy numbers and merchant names from these gift cards. They wait a week or so and then call the 800 number that was on the back of the card to find out if the card has been activated. If it has, they go to the store's website and start shopping - using the stolen gift card number as payment. The unsuspecting recipient of the gift card later discovers that the card's balance has been drained. If you are requesting gift cards this holiday season or planning to give them as presents yourself there are tips you should consider to avoid becoming a victim of a scam artist: • Don't buy gift cards that are easily accessible to the public. Many department stores keep their cards behind a counter---some even still offer hand-written gift certificates---those are your best bets. • Prior to purchasing a gift card thoroughly examine it--make sure it hasn't been tampered with. For example, look to see that it hasn't been removed and then replaced back into its cardboard holder. • Don't buy gift cards from Internet auction sites or clearinghouses. Often times, those gift cards turn out to be stolen. • When purchasing a gift card, keep the receipt as proof that you paid for it. • Before you leave the store have the clerk scan your new gift card to make sure that the balance is correct. Thieves have been known to steal new gift cards and replace them with old, used gift cards and they get away with it because when the bar code on the package is scanned, the stolen card is activated and then victims are left with worthless gift cards. Other Scams To Look Out For: A Warning For People Who Pay Bills Online How To Protect Yourself From Being Scammed On Social Networking Sites Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpreparedness tags User Comments Nola Redd (7081) 30 Nov 2006 01:35 PMI think we had this happen to us last year at Christmas. We thought we were just confused and lost (a fairly normal state) but I couldn't figure out how we lost a $50 giftcard. I thought you were just going to talk about the ridiculous merchant scammers who charge you an arm and a leg if you don't use the card in 6 months or something. That's a scam, IMO, if I pay cash and then they rip me off. But, wow, someone figured out how to one-up that! Sherry Holetzky (11404) 02 Dec 2006 07:32 AMThanks for this, Michele. Good info to know! Community Tags gift cards, gift, Holiday, scam, Tips Discuss this article
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