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 !!!
Mar 8, 2023, 2:01 am
#1157
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,060
Mar 25, 2023, 3:10 pm
#1159
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,440
i guess if you play the game long enough..........
Bought a Shell $50 GC with credits earned at a local store. I don't normally use Shell so I don't drain these within a day of purchase but someone out in Calif. managed to drain my Shell GC, and I have no idea how.
Called the help desk and they put in a ticket. I suspect this will not take much work due to the low amount of money we are dealing with and the fact that the card was sold in the Midwest and drained in Calif.
Never ceases to amaze me
Bought a Shell $50 GC with credits earned at a local store. I don't normally use Shell so I don't drain these within a day of purchase but someone out in Calif. managed to drain my Shell GC, and I have no idea how.
Called the help desk and they put in a ticket. I suspect this will not take much work due to the low amount of money we are dealing with and the fact that the card was sold in the Midwest and drained in Calif.
Never ceases to amaze me
Mar 28, 2023, 2:59 pm
#1160
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
I had a $100 Shell GC drained by somebody in CA too maybe 4-5 years ago. I never was able to get the funds back from them. They pointed me towards the store I bought the GC at (Kroger), and Kroger pointed me towards Shell. Nobody would take responsibility and I finally gave up on trying to get my $100 back. I've stayed away from Shell GCs since then.........although it helped that Kroger did away with $100 Shell GCs, which I used to generate Kroger Fuel pts, and then redeemed those fuel pts for however many gallons of Shell gas the $100 Shell GC would cover at $1 off per gallon.
Mar 28, 2023, 4:42 pm
#1161
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 238
I had a $100 Shell GC drained by somebody in CA too maybe 4-5 years ago. I never was able to get the funds back from them. They pointed me towards the store I bought the GC at (Kroger), and Kroger pointed me towards Shell. Nobody would take responsibility and I finally gave up on trying to get my $100 back. I've stayed away from Shell GCs since then.........although it helped that Kroger did away with $100 Shell GCs, which I used to generate Kroger Fuel pts, and then redeemed those fuel pts for however many gallons of Shell gas the $100 Shell GC would cover at $1 off per gallon.
Mar 29, 2023, 9:43 am
#1162
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,440
I had a $100 Shell GC drained by somebody in CA too maybe 4-5 years ago. I never was able to get the funds back from them. They pointed me towards the store I bought the GC at (Kroger), and Kroger pointed me towards Shell. Nobody would take responsibility and I finally gave up on trying to get my $100 back. I've stayed away from Shell GCs since then.........although it helped that Kroger did away with $100 Shell GCs, which I used to generate Kroger Fuel pts, and then redeemed those fuel pts for however many gallons of Shell gas the $100 Shell GC would cover at $1 off per gallon.
I took a photo of the back of my card and sent it to them (they requested such) and today I received an email saying that they will be mailing me a new GC.
I suspect that they can monitor my Shell use and figured that I didn't travel all the way to San Bernardino, Ca from the Midwest to use $48 of gas
Also, this must have been an old card since there was no covered Pin on it unlike the new cards.
Anyway, good ending for me and the scammer.
Mar 29, 2023, 5:08 pm
#1163
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 826
$100-200 is not worth the salt to fight for after few tries. A lot of heart burn and stress . I had my 1000 dollars stuck and hence I fought hard, must have spent 10-15 hours calling, hold, filing complaints etc to get the money. I could not belive when I got the check.
Mar 29, 2023, 5:23 pm
#1164
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,440
$100-200 is not worth the salt to fight for after few tries. A lot of heart burn and stress . I had my 1000 dollars stuck and hence I fought hard, must have spent 10-15 hours calling, hold, filing complaints etc to get the money. I could not belive when I got the check.
)
Jun 8, 2023, 4:23 pm
#1165
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: JRF
Programs: AA Gold, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 1,784
I have a case with InComm from back at the end of April, and they have been giving me the runaround claiming card was used, I've filed CFPB around a week ago but have not heard back (says 2 week average response time), what's the next logical step? FDIC? I can't figure out how their online filings work as it asks for failed bank (not currently in business) only. Any suggestions?
Jun 8, 2023, 5:38 pm
#1166
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,640
The next logical step is to wait for the response from the CFPB. FDIC only insures deposit accounts in the event of an entire bank failure, not a card dispute.
Jun 12, 2023, 1:17 pm
#1167
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: S Cal
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, United Silver, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,142
American Express Prepaid gift card fraud:
In the past, I would buy physical AmEx gift cards online in small denominations ($25, $50, and $100). I kept the physical cards in my home safe and would give them as gifts to friends and family for birthdays and holidays.
A relative called me earlier today that she tried to use one of these cards at a CVS store. There was only a little over $2 remaining on what was originally a $25 card.
I had 5 more of these cards remaining in my safe. I checked all 5, and 3 of them had fraudulent charges. All of the fraudulent charges were Internet charges (since the fraudster obviously didn't have the physical card).
So this required a call to customer service to report this. I'll have to wait for a resolution to see if I can recover the funds.
So that's the last time I'll buy AmEx gift cards.
In the past, I would buy physical AmEx gift cards online in small denominations ($25, $50, and $100). I kept the physical cards in my home safe and would give them as gifts to friends and family for birthdays and holidays.
A relative called me earlier today that she tried to use one of these cards at a CVS store. There was only a little over $2 remaining on what was originally a $25 card.
I had 5 more of these cards remaining in my safe. I checked all 5, and 3 of them had fraudulent charges. All of the fraudulent charges were Internet charges (since the fraudster obviously didn't have the physical card).
So this required a call to customer service to report this. I'll have to wait for a resolution to see if I can recover the funds.
So that's the last time I'll buy AmEx gift cards.
Jun 12, 2023, 3:24 pm
#1168
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: JRF
Programs: AA Gold, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 1,784
In their CFPB responses, InComm keeps on claiming of the 4 cards I bought the 4th was in question and has been used, when it’s the 2nd card that’s having a problem while cards 1, 3, and 4 were working fine. What can I do now that they keep on sending the boiler plate response?
Jun 12, 2023, 11:54 pm
#1170
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: JRF
Programs: AA Gold, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 1,784