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 !!!
Dec 12, 2021, 2:48 am
#1111
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 122
How should I liquidate a $500 visa gc if I haven’t reached my spending minimum to get credit card sign on bonus yet and I have another month to reach the minimum? Shouldn’t I still be charging the credit to try to reach the spending minimum instead of using the gc right away or is there a way to convert the gc to cash?
Dec 14, 2021, 2:26 pm
#1112
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,061
How should I liquidate a $500 visa gc if I haven’t reached my spending minimum to get credit card sign on bonus yet and I have another month to reach the minimum? Shouldn’t I still be charging the credit to try to reach the spending minimum instead of using the gc right away or is there a way to convert the gc to cash?
Last edited by danhouston; Dec 14, 2021 at 2:57 pm
Dec 21, 2021, 11:12 am
#1114
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,061
did yours have a paper with faked barcode taped on top? recent report /DP that scammers even managed to replace a USB vgc with a WM store gc inside the pkg; so the barcode still feel real but the #s didn't likely match
Jan 13, 2022, 11:32 am
#1115
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Metro ATL
Posts: 359
Data Point Metro ATL:
Bought 2 GCs this morning at Kroger (never had GC fraud problems in this one) and unpacked them soon noticing nothing suspicious. When trying to register card online the card number wasn't recognized. Tried on the phone and was automatically transferred to the rep who confirmed that both cards were compromised and she proceeded with the replacement process.
FYI: If you cannot register online and get transferred automatically upon calling make sure to wait for the rep to answer (15 minutes for me) as your card(s) was most likely tempered with.
I inspected package carefully and everything looked legit even after opening it.
Bought 2 GCs this morning at Kroger (never had GC fraud problems in this one) and unpacked them soon noticing nothing suspicious. When trying to register card online the card number wasn't recognized. Tried on the phone and was automatically transferred to the rep who confirmed that both cards were compromised and she proceeded with the replacement process.
FYI: If you cannot register online and get transferred automatically upon calling make sure to wait for the rep to answer (15 minutes for me) as your card(s) was most likely tempered with.
I inspected package carefully and everything looked legit even after opening it.
Jan 13, 2022, 12:38 pm
#1116
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 238
USB Visa GC bought at grocery stores are prime target for fraudsters at ALL Kroger brands…especially in large metro areas. Not many fraudsters live in Podunk areas but some do I’m sure. Unless you are buying for grocery points or cash back for grocery purchase and don’t mind waiting for a new replacement card from USB, just buy Vanilla Visa GC at CVS…very FEW fraud problems with them. Thankfully USB a is very good with fraud claims.
MOST IMPORTANT…..do not hold onto USB cards….liquidate immediately if possible and NEVER longer than a day. I liquidate within 30 minutes always when I do buy USB cards. I do same with Vanilla cards also. You have to be proactive to stay one step ahead of fraudsters.
MOST IMPORTANT…..do not hold onto USB cards….liquidate immediately if possible and NEVER longer than a day. I liquidate within 30 minutes always when I do buy USB cards. I do same with Vanilla cards also. You have to be proactive to stay one step ahead of fraudsters.
Jan 13, 2022, 1:58 pm
#1117
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 108
USB Visa GC bought at grocery stores are prime target for fraudsters at ALL Kroger brands…especially in large metro areas. Not many fraudsters live in Podunk areas but some do I’m sure. Unless you are buying for grocery points or cash back for grocery purchase and don’t mind waiting for a new replacement card from USB, just buy Vanilla Visa GC at CVS…very FEW fraud problems with them. Thankfully USB a is very good with fraud claims.
MOST IMPORTANT…..do not hold onto USB cards….liquidate immediately if possible and NEVER longer than a day. I liquidate within 30 minutes always when I do buy USB cards. I do same with Vanilla cards also. You have to be proactive to stay one step ahead of fraudsters.
MOST IMPORTANT…..do not hold onto USB cards….liquidate immediately if possible and NEVER longer than a day. I liquidate within 30 minutes always when I do buy USB cards. I do same with Vanilla cards also. You have to be proactive to stay one step ahead of fraudsters.
Jan 13, 2022, 4:22 pm
#1118
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,295
Data Point Metro ATL:
Bought 2 GCs this morning at Kroger (never had GC fraud problems in this one) and unpacked them soon noticing nothing suspicious. When trying to register card online the card number wasn't recognized. Tried on the phone and was automatically transferred to the rep who confirmed that both cards were compromised and she proceeded with the replacement process.
FYI: If you cannot register online and get transferred automatically upon calling make sure to wait for the rep to answer (15 minutes for me) as your card(s) was most likely tempered with.
I inspected package carefully and everything looked legit even after opening it.
Bought 2 GCs this morning at Kroger (never had GC fraud problems in this one) and unpacked them soon noticing nothing suspicious. When trying to register card online the card number wasn't recognized. Tried on the phone and was automatically transferred to the rep who confirmed that both cards were compromised and she proceeded with the replacement process.
FYI: If you cannot register online and get transferred automatically upon calling make sure to wait for the rep to answer (15 minutes for me) as your card(s) was most likely tempered with.
I inspected package carefully and everything looked legit even after opening it.
Jan 13, 2022, 5:38 pm
#1119
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Metro ATL
Posts: 359
The card balance wasn't drained. IMO, USB developed counter fraud protection of some sort. My previous experience with fraud was drained card but not this time.
I think USB somehow detected tempering with the card while the card was purchased and somehow blocked it and forced me to call and talk with the rep to be able to get replacement cards.
I think USB somehow detected tempering with the card while the card was purchased and somehow blocked it and forced me to call and talk with the rep to be able to get replacement cards.
Jan 13, 2022, 6:15 pm
#1120
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 238
The card balance wasn't drained. IMO, USB developed counter fraud protection of some sort. My previous experience with fraud was drained card but not this time.
I think USB somehow detected tempering with the card while the card was purchased and somehow blocked it and forced me to call and talk with the rep to be able to get replacement cards.
I think USB somehow detected tempering with the card while the card was purchased and somehow blocked it and forced me to call and talk with the rep to be able to get replacement cards.
I have had cards in past that didn’t work and when called USB they told me that they cancelled card for suspicious activity….such as charging something for $1 to see if card is activated…then BAM card is liquidated ASAP. When USB sees this sort of activity they shut down card and wait for real purchaser and card holder to call to replace card.
Jan 13, 2022, 6:27 pm
#1121
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 238
I never had any fraud issues with MB cards from Staples in long ago past. I also haven’t read anything on FT about MB fraud issues or the resolution thereof. I no longer buy MB cards so can’t comment directly. Simon Mall Visa GC are MB so check out the Simon Mall thread for any fraud issues. I haven’t bought MB in few years.
Jan 13, 2022, 8:33 pm
#1122
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 108
I never had any fraud issues with MB cards from Staples in long ago past. I also haven’t read anything on FT about MB fraud issues or the resolution thereof. I no longer buy MB cards so can’t comment directly. Simon Mall Visa GC are MB so check out the Simon Mall thread for any fraud issues. I haven’t bought MB in few years.
Feb 3, 2022, 1:54 pm
#1125
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 238
They can be liquidated at any grocery store in my experience….I use Kroger n Safeway brands usually. As a side note….Vanilla GC used at Walmart in past are limited to $50 max swipe since few years ago…but the Vanilla Secure Spend do not have this restriction I’ve read. I don’t bother with Walmart anymore so you may want to check the Walmart thread for more accurate info on SS GC working there.