Current:Home > MarketsPolice warn holiday shoppers about card draining: What to know about the gift card scam-LoTradeCoin
Police warn holiday shoppers about card draining: What to know about the gift card scam
View Date:2024-12-25 00:10:02
Authorities nationwide are issuing a warning about the gift card scam called card draining as many holiday shoppers look to buy gift cards as Christmas gifts.
They are warning those that have purchased or plan on purchasing gift cards from retailers to exercise caution and look out for any signs of tampering, such as scuff marks or scratches near the bar code on the back of the card.
A California man was arrested for tampering with gift cards at a Target store in Sacramento last week, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said.
Police say Ningning Sun was found with more than 5,000 gift cards from Target and Apple in his possession.
The sheriff's office said their investigation revealed that Sun was part of a gift card scam spanning across California and several other regions nationwide.
"Victims are completely unaware it is happening, and the money is often siphoned to an off-shore account within seconds," said the sheriff's office.
"These operations are very sophisticated and modifications to the gift cards are often virtually undetectable, even to the trained eye," the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office has also suggested avoiding buying gift cards altogether.
The New Britain Township Police Department in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, also issued a public notice on Dec. 1 about the card draining scam.
According to the notice, police were investigating two reports of gift card tampering involving over 100 Visa Vanilla and Apple gift cards at Giant locations in Bucks County.
New Britain Township police advise customers to check all gift card packages for tampering.
"If a gift card is suspected to have been tampered with or opened, do not buy it and bring it to the store manager or service desk," the notice says.
Gift card tampering:Man arrested after Target gift cards tampered with in California, shoppers warned
How does the card draining scam work?
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, the card draining scam involves tampering with bar code on gift cards and stealing the money loaded on them.
The Sacramento's Sheriff's office said that Sun was seen acting suspiciously near the gift cards in the payment aisles in a Sacramento Target store before his arrest.
"Detectives observed him placing all the gift cards on a rack inside his jacket, then replacing the gift cards with another set of seemingly identical ones," said the sheriff's office. Sun was confronted while trying to exit the store with the stolen gift cards.
The Pinole Police Department in Pinole, California, said in an Instagram video that the scheme involves the scammers removing gift cards from sealed envelopes and slicing away the code that the recipient needs to activate the card.
How to protect yourself from the gift card scam card draining
According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, here's how to protect yourself from this scam:
- Make sure the gift card is sealed and the protective cover and the tape covering the pin is intact
- Ensure the gift card does not appear to be tampered with
- Keep the store receipt in case the gift card you are purchasing is found to have been compromised
- If a purchased gift card is found to be compromised, immediately report it to the gift card company directly, to request a freeze on the card, and request a refund.
Real-life Grinch:Toy for Tots warehouse in California broken into, Christmas gifts for kids stolen
veryGood! (3459)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg calling herself 'a working person' garners criticism from 'The View' fans
- John Legend Reveals How Kids Luna and Miles Are Adjusting to Life as Big Siblings to Esti and Wren
- Mali’s leader says military has seized control of a rebel stronghold in the country’s north
- Iraq’s top court rules to oust the speaker and a rival lawmaker from Parliament
- Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light display in Manhattan changing up this season
- German publisher to stop selling Putin books by reporter who allegedly accepted money from Russians
- A day after Britain’s prime minister fired her, Suella Braverman accuses him of being a weak leader
- Dolly Parton’s new album is a detour from country music — could R&B be next?
- 1 monkey captured, 42 monkeys still on the loose after escaping research facility in SC
- Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot teacher faces sentencing for marijuana use while owning a gun
Ranking
- Zendaya Shares When She Feels Extra Safe With Boyfriend Tom Holland
- Rio de Janeiro mayor wants to project Taylor Swift T-shirt on Jesus Christ statue
- Donna Kelce Reveals How Son Travis Kelce Blocks Out the Noise
- Republican faction seeks to keep courts from interpreting Ohio’s new abortion rights amendment
- Police cruiser strikes and kills a bicyclist pulling a trailer in Vermont
- New York’s high court to hear redistricting case, as Democrats angle to retake US House
- Taliban minister attends meeting in Pakistan despite tensions over expulsions of Afghans
- Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez's engagement party was a star-studded affair in Beverly Hills
Recommendation
-
Ryan Reynolds Makes Dream Come True for 9-Year-Old Fan Battling Cancer
-
Matt LeBlanc posts touching tribute to Matthew Perry: 'Among the favorite times of my life'
-
US Catholic bishops meet; leaders call for unity and peace amid internal strife and global conflict
-
Yemen’s Houthis have launched strikes at Israel during the war in Gaza. What threat do they pose?
-
After entire police force resigns in small Oklahoma town, chief blames leaders, budget cuts
-
German publisher to stop selling Putin books by reporter who allegedly accepted money from Russians
-
Courteney Cox honors Matthew Perry with tribute to Monica and Chandler's 'Friends' love story
-
Dozens of babies' lives at risk as incubators at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital run out of power, Hamas-run health ministry says