Post by KG1960 on Dec 5, 2006 8:19:22 GMT -5
Gift Card Scam
The Wall Street Journal described the scheme as follows:
In one scam, crooks copy numbers from gift cards hanging on store racks. After the cards are purchased and activated, buyers use them to shop online by entering the card numbers.
So do the thieves. To figure out which cards have been activated, they phone an 800 number to check on balances for card numbers they've copied. When they discover activated cards, they use the card numbers to buy merchandise on a store's Web site, explains Dan Doyle, vice president of loss prevention at Beall's Inc., a Southeastern department-store chain.
Given a selection between prepaid gift cards displayed on an open rack versus ones kept behind a customer service counter, the latter is clearly the safer choice. In many cases gift cards are sold with a protective backing which hides the PIN from view. Those are preferable too, but always check the packaging for tampering before you purchase them.
The Wall Street Journal described the scheme as follows:
In one scam, crooks copy numbers from gift cards hanging on store racks. After the cards are purchased and activated, buyers use them to shop online by entering the card numbers.
So do the thieves. To figure out which cards have been activated, they phone an 800 number to check on balances for card numbers they've copied. When they discover activated cards, they use the card numbers to buy merchandise on a store's Web site, explains Dan Doyle, vice president of loss prevention at Beall's Inc., a Southeastern department-store chain.
Given a selection between prepaid gift cards displayed on an open rack versus ones kept behind a customer service counter, the latter is clearly the safer choice. In many cases gift cards are sold with a protective backing which hides the PIN from view. Those are preferable too, but always check the packaging for tampering before you purchase them.
