KJCT8.com - Grand Junction, Montrose - Weather, News, Sports | Beware of gift card scams
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BY SCOTT HARRISON
S.HARRISON@KRDO.COM
COLORADO SPRINGS - Shoppers in the U.S. will spend a whopping $25 billion on gift cards during this holiday season, according to the Better Business Bureau. That's an increase of $7 billion. However, at least $8 billion in cards will go unused--and scam artists have strategies to steal that money. Gift card scams are not new, but they persist from season to season.
Carol Odell of the Bureau in Colorado Springs says thieves start by targeting gift cards displayed on store counters. "They steal the number off the back. They wait a few days after it's been purchased, and then they check to see if there's a balance left on that card." If there is a balance, your card already may be invalid before you try to use it. "If they are placed up front where anyone could get ahold of them, you probably don't want to buy those. You want to get them where they're in a more secure place, so that the numbers will not have been stolen or scratched off."
The Bureau advises that you ask a clerk to scan a gift card when you buy it, to ensure that it's valid; buy only from a merchant instead of from an Internet site or other third party; and always keep the receipt. If you do buy from an Internet site, pay by credit card so that you can cancel the sale if necessary. The Bureau warns that cards on some on-line auction sites are used, counterfeit or fradulent; and that cyber-criminals often use stolen credit cards to buy gift cards to re-sell for cash.
Odell says she has learned from police that criminals use drugs to help them work harder to steal from your cards. "When they're on drugs and they're high, they can just stay with it at least 24 hours without stopping. You're going to get some people within that time."
The Bureau says criminals realize the holidays are a busy and hectic time for many of us, and shoppers become more vulnerable to scams because they don't take the time to be cautious as they normally would. Don't make it easy for a criminal to take advantage of you, and hand them unintended presents.
