There is a trending scam of stealing funds from gift cards purchased in stores where criminals replace original gift cards with nearly-perfectly doctored cards that have been tampered with by having the barcodes changed to transfer the money intended to go on the gift card to other accounts controlled by the criminals.
“Steal the originals, take them, and then hope that someone gets those doctored cards, uses them to apply funds to, and then the money transfers out of that to bank accounts they have set up,” explained Shawn Tuma, Co-Chair of the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice at Spencer Fane LLP. “It just shows the ingenuity of criminals.”
Watch the full news story featuring Shawn: Target gift card scammer caught with thousands of tampered cards and Nationwide gift card theft rings might send your holiday funds overseas
Tips to Avoid Scam:
- Buy gift cards online or from secure locations (such as those stored behind the counter) where in-store theft and tampering are less likely
- Carefully check the packaging and cards for signs of tampering
- Use cash instead of gift cards
- Keep your receipt and quickly notify the merchant if there are problems
See related posts:
- Holiday Shopping Cybersecurity Tips on WFAA TV Interviewing Shawn Tuma
- Tips for Staying #CyberSecure While Shopping Online for #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday Deals
- What do holiday charities, school weather closings, social media and ransomware have in common?
