A TARGET shopper has wasted $100 on a useless gift card after failing to notice a sly trick that’s plaguing customers across the country.
Alexis Cruz warned of red flags to look for while shopping for Christmas presents this year.
Alexis Cruz lost $100 on a tampered gift card that she purchased from a Baltimore, Maryland, Target[/caption]
She said the Visa gift card looked perfect when she picked it up, but her heart sank after she opened the envelope[/caption]
The last four numbers on the card had been scratched off, and the security code was obliterated[/caption]
“I couldn’t tell that this thing had been tampered with at all,” the enraged shopper told ABC affiliate WMAR.
“Essentially, I just gifted a scammer $100 without even knowing it.”
Cruz stopped by Target in Baltimore, Maryland, to buy a Visa gift card for a family member’s birthday.
She checked out without a hitch, but her heart fell after she opened the voucher.
The last four digits of the card number had been scratched off, and the security code was completely obliterated.
Cruz was left in shock, as she had no clue the envelope had been tampered with when she grabbed it at the store.
She called Target and Visa to report the issue, which she hopes will protect families who plan to spend hundreds on gift cards this Christmas.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, a massive $217 million dollars was lost to gift card fraud.
It’s a growing issue as detectives have uncovered scheming crime rings that travel across the country to snatch gift cards without getting caught.
In October, Homeland Security snagged a team of roving Chinese natives who razored gift card sleeves and stole the codes.
The immigrants stole at least $1 million worth of cards before they were stopped, and detectives fear they could have been siphoning money back to their home country.
“It’s only becoming more prevalent,” Bruce Passmore, assistant special agent in charge for homeland security investigations in Kentucky, told ABC affiliate WAVE.
“This is not an HSI problem. It’s not an FBI problem. It’s not a Secret Service problem. It’s not a state and local problem.
“It’s an everyone problem.”
What to look out for when buying gift cards
When buying a gift card, be sure to check the back of the packaging.
If it is ripped or damaged in any way, it could have been opened by a fraudster.
If you buy a gift card and the redemption code on the back is damaged and unusable, call the store where you purchased the card and contact the gift card company immediately.
Be sure to also keep the gift card receipt.
This Christmas, shoppers should take a long, hard look at gift cards before they drop the cash.
It’s crucial to check the back of the package for rips or damage, and if you find any tampering, report it to store employees.
If you purchase a useless card, you can still get your money back. Simply contact the gift card company with proof of purchase and explain the issue.
To avoid gift card scams, shoppers can buy vouchers online directly from the company offering the credit.
The gift card drama comes after a Walmart shopper lost $300 on a voucher from a different scam.
Plus, shoppers who get an eerie phone call that’s going around should hang up immediately and call their bank.
