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 !!!
Feb 29, 2016, 9:15 am
#736
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
Yes, I went the police station. It took a while because there were 8 cards, most of which I'd given away at Christmas and used to pay people. So we didn't realize there was fraud until my so-called $200 Christmas gift or payment only had $30 or so on the cards. Most of the fraud was big ticket items at HomeDepot (.com), all back to back on the same day at 4:30ish am. There were a couple of smaller purchases on one or two cards that were also fraudulent. So the officer and I had to go through each print out, one by one, and look at what was fraud and what was legit. It took about 45 minutes. If you've just got one card, it should be quick.
Feb 29, 2016, 9:52 am
#737
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA EXP, Hilton Diamond, Wyndham Diamond, DL PM, Marriott Platinum, IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,305
Yes, I went the police station. It took a while because there were 8 cards, most of which I'd given away at Christmas and used to pay people. So we didn't realize there was fraud until my so-called $200 Christmas gift or payment only had $30 or so on the cards. Most of the fraud was big ticket items at HomeDepot (.com), all back to back on the same day at 4:30ish am. There were a couple of smaller purchases on one or two cards that were also fraudulent. So the officer and I had to go through each print out, one by one, and look at what was fraud and what was legit. It took about 45 minutes. If you've just got one card, it should be quick.
Feb 29, 2016, 8:05 pm
#742
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta Gold. Hilton Diamond. Hyatt Explorist.
Posts: 1,674
Mar 10, 2016, 10:49 am
#743
Join Date: May 2015
Location: LAX, BUR
Programs: AS,AA,JB, HH Gold, Starriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Explorist, Global Entry
Posts: 1,933
I bought a $500 prepaid GC last week. Unfortunately, the card was not loaded properly and I had to fax the issuer my card number with receipt of my purchase. I got a call from them within 20 minutes of faxing it that they have loaded my card with $500 (this was on Friday). I was traveling on Saturday and checked my GC and pretty much most of the $500 has been drained by purchaes at Circle K and CVS.
Has anyone gone through this and what steps do I need to take to resolve this?
Has anyone gone through this and what steps do I need to take to resolve this?
The next day the cards were active, went to RA to load and would not load, had 2 $300 cards that did load. Called US Bank and found the cards had been used at a Daniels Jeweler.
Going to Ralphs and notify them. Is a police report or the CFPB report the next step while I wait for US Bank?
I successfully got about 8 cards from this Ralphs in the past few weeks before this.
Mar 10, 2016, 11:18 am
#744
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Posts: 1,929
Mar 10, 2016, 11:54 am
#746
Join Date: May 2015
Location: LAX, BUR
Programs: AS,AA,JB, HH Gold, Starriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Explorist, Global Entry
Posts: 1,933
I notified the store manager, he thinks fraudsters shoplift the cards, tamper with the strips, reglue the packaging and replace them in the racks. Waiting for them to be properly activated and then drain them.
Mar 10, 2016, 1:22 pm
#748
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angles
Posts: 2,101
I tried to file with the Police, I was told its a civil matter and should file claim in court. I don't remember the details of the case but was similar.....(implied too busy to spend the resources for small matters)
Mar 10, 2016, 7:09 pm
#749
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 71
This happened to me this week, bought 4 x $500 GSs that were properly activated, called and faxed picture of front, back and activation receipt.
The next day the cards were active, went to RA to load and would not load, had 2 $300 cards that did load. Called US Bank and found the cards had been used at a Daniels Jeweler.
Going to Ralphs and notify them. Is a police report or the CFPB report the next step while I wait for US Bank?
I successfully got about 8 cards from this Ralphs in the past few weeks before this.
The next day the cards were active, went to RA to load and would not load, had 2 $300 cards that did load. Called US Bank and found the cards had been used at a Daniels Jeweler.
Going to Ralphs and notify them. Is a police report or the CFPB report the next step while I wait for US Bank?
I successfully got about 8 cards from this Ralphs in the past few weeks before this.
You need to call US bank and file a dispute and just wait. I received a letter within a couple weeks saying they will replace my card. Then they just sat on their hands for a few months. Every time I called for update there was no info and no timeline on when the replacement card would be sent. the last time I called I was told that the card wasn't sent out and they needed supervisor approval. I finally got the replacement card a few weeks later minus another $5.95 activation fee.