Vanilla reload broken PIN scam reports
May 27, 2013, 8:20 am
#151
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: BA, UA, US, AA
Posts: 49
Good news got home last night and immediately loaded my VRs to my new Bluebird card. The cards were legit and the full $1000 loaded. I'll be a little cautious however buying VRs when I go to ATL again next month. I might just stick to loading up gift cards on BB down there at all the Walmarts.
Anyone bought the new style VR with the mag strip on the bottom and the wider silver strip with the overlay?
Jun 2, 2013, 7:12 am
#152
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: SPG Platinum, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,134
From what I've seen over the past few weeks, it appears that Incomm and/or CVS has done a good job on getting the bad batches out of the stores and replaced with good batches. From my recent experiences, five stores in the lower South Metro area have been fine. Stores in Union City and Newnan still have no VR cards (it appears they are no longer carrying them). Other stores around this general area have plenty of them, though. All of the cards I've been getting recently are the 0912v1 cards. Just to recap... I've bought 28 VR cards in the last 3 months and only one of them looked different (older card) and was compromised.
Jun 2, 2013, 8:21 am
#153
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 939
From what I've seen over the past few weeks, it appears that Incomm and/or CVS has done a good job on getting the bad batches out of the stores and replaced with good batches. From my recent experiences, five stores in the lower South Metro area have been fine. Stores in Union City and Newnan still have no VR cards (it appears they are no longer carrying them). Other stores around this general area have plenty of them, though. All of the cards I've been getting recently are the 0912v1 cards. Just to recap... I've bought 28 VR cards in the last 3 months and only one of them looked different (older card) and was compromised.
Those cards were tampered with and placed on the rack for ppl to purchase.
The ppl doing it then go in every x minutes and try to load the numbers of the cards they placed there. The numbers are scratched off to buy them time ... it takes time for you to either go back to the CVS where you bought them or call Incomm about them. The longer you wait the more time they have to try to load your reload to their card. They used to do this with GDs but a lot of stores that sell them (where this is a problem) keep them behind the counter now.
VRs are popular with only one set of ppl... Churners who tend to buy a lot and max them out. GDs are popular with the unbanked who tends to put small amounts on them.
One of the CVS in Atlanta which quite a few churners frequent lets us scratch the cards before purchase just to be sure. I haven't seen any cards recently that have been compromised and Im not sure if these scams are still going on. The newer batches of cards are much better and harder to remove the scratch-able section without ruining it.
Jul 1, 2013, 9:33 pm
#155
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Atlanta
Programs: Delta Diamond; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 655
I got two more bad cards in Atlanta today. I had been on a good safe run for a couple months by avoiding the CVS locations in poor neighborhoods and sticking to the upscale ones in the burbs. These are the first bad cards I've gotten in the burbs. Parts of the PIN are missing and, when I called customer service, they informed me that the money has already been pulled off the cards. They are opening a ticket. This is getting really frustrating. When my Ink card finally arrives, I think I'm going to go another route to fund my BB account instead of VRs.
Jul 2, 2013, 4:14 am
#156
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: GA
Programs: SPG Gold
Posts: 186
I got two more bad cards in Atlanta today. I had been on a good safe run for a couple months by avoiding the CVS locations in poor neighborhoods and sticking to the upscale ones in the burbs. These are the first bad cards I've gotten in the burbs. Parts of the PIN are missing and, when I called customer service, they informed me that the money has already been pulled off the cards. They are opening a ticket. This is getting really frustrating. When my Ink card finally arrives, I think I'm going to go another route to fund my BB account instead of VRs.
I wonder if it's leftover 'bad stock' or its the new wave of bad...
either way, bad news.
good luck
Jul 2, 2013, 8:24 am
#157
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Atlanta
Programs: Delta Diamond; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 655
This has been my spot for good cards for several months, ever since I stopped getting cards at Bolton Road due to so many fraudulent cards there.
Jul 2, 2013, 8:30 am
#158
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,901
For the bad cards in GA, maybe a list of stores and addresses should be compiled here. It's been going on for a while now. Then the list can be sent to Vanilla and to CVS HQ, since the franchises seem to be apathetic or ignorant based on observations here.
Jul 2, 2013, 6:27 pm
#159
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: SouthernAZ
Posts: 4
The only VR cards I see now on GC kiosk are laminated paper forms without plastic card that must be taken to register and scanned. The clerk then asked for card to load with and I handed her my BB but that won't work as it needs a 16 digit number. Is this new? or am I looking at the wrong card.
Jul 2, 2013, 7:56 pm
#160
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,901
The only VR cards I see now on GC kiosk are laminated paper forms without plastic card that must be taken to register and scanned. The clerk then asked for card to load with and I handed her my BB but that won't work as it needs a 16 digit number. Is this new? or am I looking at the wrong card.
Jul 3, 2013, 9:37 am
#161
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: SouthernAZ
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by ;
That's a different version but if the clerk accepts your credit card it's just as good. They sell those at Family Dollar but cash only.
How do they load your BB card when the card it needs has to have 16 digits?
Last edited by chipmonkey; Jul 3, 2013 at 11:44 am
Jul 4, 2013, 5:17 am
#162
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 5,015
The only VR cards I see now on GC kiosk are laminated paper forms without plastic card that must be taken to register and scanned. The clerk then asked for card to load with and I handed her my BB but that won't work as it needs a 16 digit number. Is this new? or am I looking at the wrong card.
Jul 4, 2013, 7:56 am
#163
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: JFK
Programs: *$ Gold :)
Posts: 1,061
The only VR cards I see now on GC kiosk are laminated paper forms without plastic card that must be taken to register and scanned. The clerk then asked for card to load with and I handed her my BB but that won't work as it needs a 16 digit number. Is this new? or am I looking at the wrong card.
http://boardingarea.com/frequentmile...a-reload-card/