Beware fraudulent gift cards (Canada)
Nov 4, 2022, 1:55 pm
#1
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Beware fraudulent gift cards (Canada)
A friend and I have been purchasing gift cards from grocery stores to make sure we hit our minimum $500 monthly spend for the bonus points on the Amex Cobalt card.
My friend bought a fake $500 Vanilla card from Metro yesterday! He went back to the store today and they asked him to send an email detailing what happened. With his permission, I have posted it here.
Metro has promised to make my friend whole again, but it may take some time before they can refund his $500 while they conduct an investigation.
I happen to have an unactivated, unopened Vanilla gift card here. I can see the number that begins with a 1 on the back of the card and the back of the packaging, but it's 11 digits, not 10. From the sounds of it, that may be the only way to identify if the card is authentic.
Buyer beware!
My friend bought a fake $500 Vanilla card from Metro yesterday! He went back to the store today and they asked him to send an email detailing what happened. With his permission, I have posted it here.
On Thursday November 03 2022 I purchased a Vanilla Pre-Paid VISA card in the amount of $500 plus activation fee at Metro. I paid for the card with my American Express Cobalt card ending in XXXX.
On the morning of Friday November 04 I attempted to add my postal code to the card on the online registration site at https://vanillaprepaid.com/. I received an error message directing me to the website listed on the back of the card.
On the back of the card was the website vanillagift.com. I again tried entering the gift card number and received an error. At this point I became worried that the card was fraudulent and I called the number on the back of the card. The number did not work: it would ring and ring, pause and then ring and ring again.
I then called the number on the back of the gift card packaging. The call did go through to an agent who asked for the card number. She said the card number came back as invalid. She then asked me for a ten digit number on the back beginning with a #1. I told her there was no number that began with the #1. I read out two numbers on the back and she told me that the card was not in their system. She then asked me if I had the purchase receipt which I said I did. She directed me back to the place of purchase.
Note: I did try entering the gift card number on my rogers.com payment page and the page would not even recognize the card number as a valid card number.
I also noticed that previous Vanilla gift cards:
- did not say “One Vanilla” just “Vanilla”
- the logo on the front is VISA, yet on the back “Mastercard” is referenced and not VISA
- peoples Trust on the back of the card is grammatically incorrect and should be “Peoples Trust” or “People’s Trust”
- there is no hologram on the front or back of the card
- the appearance of the card in general is different than any other pre-paid Vanilla card I have purchased.
Of course, none of the above features are visible when purchasing the card which came in the thick plastic packaging as per normal.
On the morning of Friday November 04 I attempted to add my postal code to the card on the online registration site at https://vanillaprepaid.com/. I received an error message directing me to the website listed on the back of the card.
On the back of the card was the website vanillagift.com. I again tried entering the gift card number and received an error. At this point I became worried that the card was fraudulent and I called the number on the back of the card. The number did not work: it would ring and ring, pause and then ring and ring again.
I then called the number on the back of the gift card packaging. The call did go through to an agent who asked for the card number. She said the card number came back as invalid. She then asked me for a ten digit number on the back beginning with a #1. I told her there was no number that began with the #1. I read out two numbers on the back and she told me that the card was not in their system. She then asked me if I had the purchase receipt which I said I did. She directed me back to the place of purchase.
Note: I did try entering the gift card number on my rogers.com payment page and the page would not even recognize the card number as a valid card number.
I also noticed that previous Vanilla gift cards:
- did not say “One Vanilla” just “Vanilla”
- the logo on the front is VISA, yet on the back “Mastercard” is referenced and not VISA
- peoples Trust on the back of the card is grammatically incorrect and should be “Peoples Trust” or “People’s Trust”
- there is no hologram on the front or back of the card
- the appearance of the card in general is different than any other pre-paid Vanilla card I have purchased.
Of course, none of the above features are visible when purchasing the card which came in the thick plastic packaging as per normal.
Metro has promised to make my friend whole again, but it may take some time before they can refund his $500 while they conduct an investigation.
I happen to have an unactivated, unopened Vanilla gift card here. I can see the number that begins with a 1 on the back of the card and the back of the packaging, but it's 11 digits, not 10. From the sounds of it, that may be the only way to identify if the card is authentic.
Buyer beware!
Last edited by margarita girl; Nov 23, 2022 at 9:25 pm
Nov 4, 2022, 6:56 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 142
A friend and I have been purchasing gift cards from grocery stores to make sure we hit our minimum $500 monthly spend for the bonus points.
My friend bought a fake $500 Vanilla card from Metro yesterday! He went back to the store today and they asked him to send an email detailing what happened. With his permission, I have posted it here.
My friend bought a fake $500 Vanilla card from Metro yesterday! He went back to the store today and they asked him to send an email detailing what happened. With his permission, I have posted it here.
Nov 4, 2022, 7:23 pm
#3
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When the card was purchased the store activated the real gift card which was originally in the package. The money went to that card.
You can find similar stories of gift card tampering in the Manufactured Spending forum.
You can find similar stories of gift card tampering in the Manufactured Spending forum.
Nov 5, 2022, 9:36 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 142
When the card was purchased the store activated the real gift card which was originally in the package. The money went to that card.
You can find similar stories of gift card tampering in the Manufactured Spending forum.
You can find similar stories of gift card tampering in the Manufactured Spending forum.
Nov 5, 2022, 11:24 am
#5
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Nov 16, 2022, 8:33 am
#6
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Well, my turn to get conned out of $499!
I bought a $500 Visa at Sobeys on Nov 1. I registered the card the same day at theperfectgift.com and it showed a balance of $500. I tried to use the card about a week later at a merchant and the card was declined. I thought it was a merchant problem so didn’t think too much of it. Yesterday, I tried to use it at a different merchant. Declined again.
I decided to call the number on the back of the card to find out what was going on. While on the phone, I checked the balance. $0.91!
I spoke to an agent. On Nov 4 and 5, there were 5 transactions on the card at Esso, Starbucks and Miniso totalling $499.09. The agent said they would dispute the charges (not sure how this can be the merchant’s fault). I sent in a copy of my purchase receipt and also my Amex Cobalt statement showing the charge.
If I don’t get all my money back, I plan to take the card issuer to small claims court. This is totally on them for having a flawed system. I would guess the scammers pick up the cards, clone them, then put them back on the rack waiting for the card to be activated. The money was then spent very quickly. Two of the charges were $200 each at Esso, so probably bought gift cards. How ironic!
Anyhow, between my experience and my friend buying a fake card, I’m done with this nonsense. I would consider buying less desirable gift cards like Canadian Tire, or Pet Smart, but no more Visa or MC!
I bought a $500 Visa at Sobeys on Nov 1. I registered the card the same day at theperfectgift.com and it showed a balance of $500. I tried to use the card about a week later at a merchant and the card was declined. I thought it was a merchant problem so didn’t think too much of it. Yesterday, I tried to use it at a different merchant. Declined again.
I decided to call the number on the back of the card to find out what was going on. While on the phone, I checked the balance. $0.91!
I spoke to an agent. On Nov 4 and 5, there were 5 transactions on the card at Esso, Starbucks and Miniso totalling $499.09. The agent said they would dispute the charges (not sure how this can be the merchant’s fault). I sent in a copy of my purchase receipt and also my Amex Cobalt statement showing the charge.
If I don’t get all my money back, I plan to take the card issuer to small claims court. This is totally on them for having a flawed system. I would guess the scammers pick up the cards, clone them, then put them back on the rack waiting for the card to be activated. The money was then spent very quickly. Two of the charges were $200 each at Esso, so probably bought gift cards. How ironic!
Anyhow, between my experience and my friend buying a fake card, I’m done with this nonsense. I would consider buying less desirable gift cards like Canadian Tire, or Pet Smart, but no more Visa or MC!
Nov 16, 2022, 11:59 am
#7
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Posts transferred to Manufactured Spending forum where this type of deception is discussed. There is no apparent connection to the American Express Cobalt card used to buy the gift cards.
Nov 16, 2022, 7:35 pm
#8
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TIL Vanillas are available in Canada. FWIW, Peoples Trust is legit and originally a small high-interest rate deposit institution based in Vancouver, BC
Nov 18, 2022, 8:06 pm
#10
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 92
Well, my turn to get conned out of $499!
I bought a $500 Visa at Sobeys on Nov 1. I registered the card the same day at theperfectgift.com and it showed a balance of $500. I tried to use the card about a week later at a merchant and the card was declined. I thought it was a merchant problem so didn’t think too much of it. Yesterday, I tried to use it at a different merchant. Declined again.
I decided to call the number on the back of the card to find out what was going on. While on the phone, I checked the balance. $0.91!
I spoke to an agent. On Nov 4 and 5, there were 5 transactions on the card at Esso, Starbucks and Miniso totalling $499.09. The agent said they would dispute the charges (not sure how this can be the merchant’s fault). I sent in a copy of my purchase receipt and also my Amex Cobalt statement showing the charge.
If I don’t get all my money back, I plan to take the card issuer to small claims court. This is totally on them for having a flawed system. I would guess the scammers pick up the cards, clone them, then put them back on the rack waiting for the card to be activated. The money was then spent very quickly. Two of the charges were $200 each at Esso, so probably bought gift cards. How ironic!
Anyhow, between my experience and my friend buying a fake card, I’m done with this nonsense. I would consider buying less desirable gift cards like Canadian Tire, or Pet Smart, but no more Visa or MC!
I bought a $500 Visa at Sobeys on Nov 1. I registered the card the same day at theperfectgift.com and it showed a balance of $500. I tried to use the card about a week later at a merchant and the card was declined. I thought it was a merchant problem so didn’t think too much of it. Yesterday, I tried to use it at a different merchant. Declined again.
I decided to call the number on the back of the card to find out what was going on. While on the phone, I checked the balance. $0.91!
I spoke to an agent. On Nov 4 and 5, there were 5 transactions on the card at Esso, Starbucks and Miniso totalling $499.09. The agent said they would dispute the charges (not sure how this can be the merchant’s fault). I sent in a copy of my purchase receipt and also my Amex Cobalt statement showing the charge.
If I don’t get all my money back, I plan to take the card issuer to small claims court. This is totally on them for having a flawed system. I would guess the scammers pick up the cards, clone them, then put them back on the rack waiting for the card to be activated. The money was then spent very quickly. Two of the charges were $200 each at Esso, so probably bought gift cards. How ironic!
Anyhow, between my experience and my friend buying a fake card, I’m done with this nonsense. I would consider buying less desirable gift cards like Canadian Tire, or Pet Smart, but no more Visa or MC!
Nov 23, 2022, 8:48 pm
#11
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Join Date: Jun 2007
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Well, my turn to get conned out of $499!
I bought a $500 Visa at Sobeys on Nov 1. I registered the card the same day at theperfectgift.com and it showed a balance of $500. I tried to use the card about a week later at a merchant and the card was declined. I thought it was a merchant problem so didn’t think too much of it. Yesterday, I tried to use it at a different merchant. Declined. <snip>
I bought a $500 Visa at Sobeys on Nov 1. I registered the card the same day at theperfectgift.com and it showed a balance of $500. I tried to use the card about a week later at a merchant and the card was declined. I thought it was a merchant problem so didn’t think too much of it. Yesterday, I tried to use it at a different merchant. Declined. <snip>
The company I was dealing with was called Blackhawk Network.