Apr 13, 2015, 12:55 pm
Last edit by: phant0m
************Gift Card Fraud Alert************
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
How can I protect myself?
1) Do not buy a card that has been opened or looks tampered with. Inspect all packaging thoroughly before purchasing. Many posters say that the packaging looks pristine, but the glue seems excessive once opened. Open the package to inspect the glue before you pay for it, if the cashier allows that.
2) Use the card quickly. The card has no value until YOU add money. If you spend your funds before the fraudster figures out that it's loaded, you win. Or at least register your card. That might give you another layer of security but beware it might NOT be bulletproof.
3) Keep your receipts and packaging until your card is liquidated. You will need the receipt to make a claim.
I'll add a few more from the school of hard knocks (also now known as the school of the paranoid MSer)....
4) If it's the only card of its type left on the rack, should you buy it or not? Consider: did the fraudster remove all the other cards so some sucker would quickly come along quickly and buy the card he has placed there purposefully?
5) A corollary to #4: Should you buy the top card in a stack of cards, or dig deeper and pick out one a distance from the top? Did the fraudster put the card he wants some sucker to buy at the top of the stack so it would sell quickly and he could do his evil deed?
6) Open card packages soon after purchase. Don't wait a few days. If anything looks amiss (too much glue inside the pack, too little glue inside, glue in the wrong location, mag stripe doesn't look right, some card numbers illegible), call the 800 number on the back of the card immediately to report it and ask about a replacement.
Each link of Gift Card MS:
1. Gift Card issuer: Vanilla, Metabank, US Bank, Green Dot etc. There can be data hack. It is rare.
2. GC Merchant: grocery and drug stores. Online GC sellers (Simon Mall, Gift Card Mall etc.). The data hack is possible, but rare.
3. Shipping: GCs can be stolen. But this is not fraud.
4. GC Cash Out: Walmart, Dollar General, Family Dollar, CVS etc. This is very rare.
For unsold GCs with bar code exposed, the store is required to destroy the GCs. Fraud can happen when the unsuspecting store staff return the unsold GCs back to the shelf. But it is very rare to have a batch of GCs all tampered and returned to the store shelf.
Here is a web site with information about gift card fraud:
http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-sec...-so-lucrative/
Here are some stores where FT members have experienced fraud:
List of Stores to avoid or be Alert:
(1) Reported by IWOL in So Cal:
VONS => Ventura Blvd & Reseda
Reported by Lovenola:
Ralph's in Downey at 9200 Lakewood Blvd.
Ralph's in Pasadena at 211 E. Foothill Blvd.
Ralph's in Monrovia at 1193 Huntington Dr.
3) Reported by domino007
Ralphs in 13321 Jamboree Rd, Tustin
Ralphs in Irvine on Alton, Walnut and Irvine Blvd
Reported by DaveInLA:
Ralphs in Brea- 305 W Imperial Hwy. VGC was purchased in 12/2014.
Reported by 46sky:
Ralphs in Culver City on Venice Blvd - VGC purchased 2/2015.
Reported by Chrisflyer66:
Ralphs in San Diego on Sports Arena - VGCs purchased in 2014-2015.
Ralph's - 1435 W Chapman Ave, Orange, CA 92868 - Purchased 12/2019
Seems to me that only People in so.Cal are reporting
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
How can I protect myself?
1) Do not buy a card that has been opened or looks tampered with. Inspect all packaging thoroughly before purchasing. Many posters say that the packaging looks pristine, but the glue seems excessive once opened. Open the package to inspect the glue before you pay for it, if the cashier allows that.
2) Use the card quickly. The card has no value until YOU add money. If you spend your funds before the fraudster figures out that it's loaded, you win. Or at least register your card. That might give you another layer of security but beware it might NOT be bulletproof.
3) Keep your receipts and packaging until your card is liquidated. You will need the receipt to make a claim.
I'll add a few more from the school of hard knocks (also now known as the school of the paranoid MSer)....
4) If it's the only card of its type left on the rack, should you buy it or not? Consider: did the fraudster remove all the other cards so some sucker would quickly come along quickly and buy the card he has placed there purposefully?
5) A corollary to #4: Should you buy the top card in a stack of cards, or dig deeper and pick out one a distance from the top? Did the fraudster put the card he wants some sucker to buy at the top of the stack so it would sell quickly and he could do his evil deed?
6) Open card packages soon after purchase. Don't wait a few days. If anything looks amiss (too much glue inside the pack, too little glue inside, glue in the wrong location, mag stripe doesn't look right, some card numbers illegible), call the 800 number on the back of the card immediately to report it and ask about a replacement.
Each link of Gift Card MS:
1. Gift Card issuer: Vanilla, Metabank, US Bank, Green Dot etc. There can be data hack. It is rare.
2. GC Merchant: grocery and drug stores. Online GC sellers (Simon Mall, Gift Card Mall etc.). The data hack is possible, but rare.
3. Shipping: GCs can be stolen. But this is not fraud.
4. GC Cash Out: Walmart, Dollar General, Family Dollar, CVS etc. This is very rare.
For unsold GCs with bar code exposed, the store is required to destroy the GCs. Fraud can happen when the unsuspecting store staff return the unsold GCs back to the shelf. But it is very rare to have a batch of GCs all tampered and returned to the store shelf.
Here is a web site with information about gift card fraud:
http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-sec...-so-lucrative/
Here are some stores where FT members have experienced fraud:
List of Stores to avoid or be Alert:
(1) Reported by IWOL in So Cal:
VONS => Ventura Blvd & Reseda
Reported by Lovenola:
Ralph's in Downey at 9200 Lakewood Blvd.
Ralph's in Pasadena at 211 E. Foothill Blvd.
Ralph's in Monrovia at 1193 Huntington Dr.
3) Reported by domino007
Ralphs in 13321 Jamboree Rd, Tustin
Ralphs in Irvine on Alton, Walnut and Irvine Blvd
Reported by DaveInLA:
Ralphs in Brea- 305 W Imperial Hwy. VGC was purchased in 12/2014.
Reported by 46sky:
Ralphs in Culver City on Venice Blvd - VGC purchased 2/2015.
Reported by Chrisflyer66:
Ralphs in San Diego on Sports Arena - VGCs purchased in 2014-2015.
Ralph's - 1435 W Chapman Ave, Orange, CA 92868 - Purchased 12/2019
Seems to me that only People in so.Cal are reporting
Gift Card Fraud !!!
Oct 9, 2014, 5:58 pm
#181
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 131
just an update on fraudulent charges on my two US Bank GCs. I filed a complaint with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on 9/26, got a response from US Bank yesterday asking to call them to provide more info. So I did so and I was told that two cards are going to be sent to my address.
Oct 10, 2014, 10:17 am
#182
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: S.E. Pennsylvania
Programs: SPG, SW Air, AA, all of'em!
Posts: 239
just an update on fraudulent charges on my two US Bank GCs. I filed a complaint with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on 9/26, got a response from US Bank yesterday asking to call them to provide more info. So I did so and I was told that two cards are going to be sent to my address.
I am curious: 1. how long did you hold your US Bank GCs before liquidating?, and, 2. Did US Bank initially refuse to honor your request for reimbursement until you escalated the case to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?
Oct 11, 2014, 7:26 am
#183
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 355
Came across 4 more tampered USB MC gc yesterday. Caught 1 prior to purchase. 3 others slipped through even though I had opened the packages and quickly looked at the card.
Fortunately, drained all 3 before I could get scammed.
Still have not been able to figure out how to detect these tampered USB gc other than to open them. And based on my recent experience, I will take a bit more time examining the actual card before purchase.
Tampering approach seems to be the same as before ... slice open the card packaging with a sharp blade; remove the card; reinsert and reglue the card; reglue the packaging.
Looks like they might be evolving (improving) their gluing techniques, making them even harder to spot. <ugh>
Fortunately, drained all 3 before I could get scammed.
Still have not been able to figure out how to detect these tampered USB gc other than to open them. And based on my recent experience, I will take a bit more time examining the actual card before purchase.
Tampering approach seems to be the same as before ... slice open the card packaging with a sharp blade; remove the card; reinsert and reglue the card; reglue the packaging.
Looks like they might be evolving (improving) their gluing techniques, making them even harder to spot. <ugh>
Oct 11, 2014, 7:31 am
#184
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,052
If you can see the bar codes wouldnt that help you pre determine if the card is good?
What I do now is this:
I bring my gcs to the service desk. They may want my ID if im buying a bunch. I start to make small talk and I say something like, Im here to make this easier for you with my trusty gc opener that also saves nails.
I then show them as I use the corner of my id as a letter opener and most clerks are very happy to not have to frustratingly pick at the packages to open the backs for scanning. They see me do it for them in front of them. That way I help them whilst also getting a chance to see and feel the barcodes. If the tabs come off too easily I really look harder, although they do tend to on mc and some meta versions
What I do now is this:
I bring my gcs to the service desk. They may want my ID if im buying a bunch. I start to make small talk and I say something like, Im here to make this easier for you with my trusty gc opener that also saves nails.
I then show them as I use the corner of my id as a letter opener and most clerks are very happy to not have to frustratingly pick at the packages to open the backs for scanning. They see me do it for them in front of them. That way I help them whilst also getting a chance to see and feel the barcodes. If the tabs come off too easily I really look harder, although they do tend to on mc and some meta versions
Oct 11, 2014, 12:23 pm
#189
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 355
I'm no CSI, but imo the tampering is quite well done.
I can tell a tampered card only if I tear the packet apart and look for evidence on the card's face and the packet's inside surfaces.
For the 03/23 series, I have a new theory for how to spot a bad gc. But I will need another unopened bad gc to test it on.
ETA: Correction, I can tell a tampered card only if I tear the packet apart and CAREFULLY look for evidence on the card's face and inside surfaces. Bought 2 more bad cards today EVEN AFTER tearing the packets open in the store.
.
The tampering is almost artful in its attention to detail.
Last edited by seat17D; Oct 11, 2014 at 1:04 pm
Oct 11, 2014, 6:31 pm
#191
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
No. After a month of off and on efforts, I still don't have a reliable method of identifying tampered USB MC gc based solely on external evidence.
I'm no CSI, but imo the tampering is quite well done.
I can tell a tampered card only if I tear the packet apart and look for evidence on the card's face and the packet's inside surfaces.
For the 03/23 series, I have a new theory for how to spot a bad gc. But I will need another unopened bad gc to test it on.
ETA: Correction, I can tell a tampered card only if I tear the packet apart and CAREFULLY look for evidence on the card's face and inside surfaces. Bought 2 more bad cards today EVEN AFTER tearing the packets open in the store.
.
The tampering is almost artful in its attention to detail.
I'm no CSI, but imo the tampering is quite well done.
I can tell a tampered card only if I tear the packet apart and look for evidence on the card's face and the packet's inside surfaces.
For the 03/23 series, I have a new theory for how to spot a bad gc. But I will need another unopened bad gc to test it on.
ETA: Correction, I can tell a tampered card only if I tear the packet apart and CAREFULLY look for evidence on the card's face and inside surfaces. Bought 2 more bad cards today EVEN AFTER tearing the packets open in the store.
.
The tampering is almost artful in its attention to detail.
Oct 11, 2014, 8:30 pm
#193
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 97
Where are you located, seat17D? To date the only tampering I've seen is either idiots pulling the tab completely, or the more subtle / nefarious bit of bending the packaging so the perforation at the bottom opens and they're able to peek in and get the numbers they need.
Oct 11, 2014, 8:48 pm
#194
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 276
USB GC literally prints the card number in the bar code.
Take MC for example ... it usually starts with 5428-4430-XXXX-XXXX, if you look at the last 9 digits in the barcode and ignore the last digit .. BINGO! You just got the last 8 digits. Of course the expiration date is printed on the package.
Correction: After looking over dozens of my USB MC GC. I noticed it what I said above doesn't happen all the time. Sometimes you have the look at the last 8 digits and ignore the last 1, 2, or 3 digits. Therefore, you would either have to guess them or find another way to find the last 1, 2, or 3 digits.
Take MC for example ... it usually starts with 5428-4430-XXXX-XXXX, if you look at the last 9 digits in the barcode and ignore the last digit .. BINGO! You just got the last 8 digits. Of course the expiration date is printed on the package.
Correction: After looking over dozens of my USB MC GC. I noticed it what I said above doesn't happen all the time. Sometimes you have the look at the last 8 digits and ignore the last 1, 2, or 3 digits. Therefore, you would either have to guess them or find another way to find the last 1, 2, or 3 digits.
Last edited by benny08; Oct 11, 2014 at 9:31 pm
Oct 11, 2014, 9:14 pm
#195
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,507
USB GC literally prints the card number in the bar code.
Take MC for example ... it usually starts with 5428-4430-XXXX-XXXX, if you look at the last 9 digits in the barcode and ignore the last digit .. BINGO! You just got the last 8 digits. Of course the expiration date is printed on the package.
Take MC for example ... it usually starts with 5428-4430-XXXX-XXXX, if you look at the last 9 digits in the barcode and ignore the last digit .. BINGO! You just got the last 8 digits. Of course the expiration date is printed on the package.