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DP5 Avoid Gift Card Scams
Gift card fraud is a trillion dollar problem around the world so i thought i would talk about some of the common gift card scams so you can avoid getting scammed yourself.
We have robocalls, which are basically automated phone calls where they call you and say that you got a relative that needs bail bond, you have an administration fee for a lottery ticket you won, or something about back taxes that you need to pay, and they're going to instruct you because it's easier to go and buy some gift cards off the shelf (usually itunes or something like that), and just just send the gift card numbers over the phone so that your pay right away and they can take care of it.
Another scam call is that you got a credit card starting with the numbers "45..." and they have alerted you that there is suspicious activity such as $300 eBay charges or $1000 international gift card purchase.
I have personally received a call like this and there are plenty of red flags. Unavailable caller ID, they need you to urgently respond within 30 minutes to know if the charges or legit or not. Just hang up! Many credit cards begin with "45" so it isn't surprising that you might have one as well.
Another scam site out there where you can check your gift card balances, you enter it in the website, they drain your gift card right away...
Another possible scam on Kijiji, eBay, Craigslist or whatever you have in your area. If you are selling an expensive item such as a vehicle, or boat, or trailer. They are very interested, they send you a check as a deposit to hold it because they are busy or out of town. The next day they contact you as they can't proceed with the purchase, so you can keep $1000 for your inconvenience but can you send them the remainder of the deposit in gift cards. Of course the initial check you received is going to bounce and you just lost got money that you paid for the gift cards.
Another big one is going to a store such as Best Buy where they sell gift cards. They take a bunch that are unactivated and walk out the store. They scratch off the card number and pin code, record the information, place a new scratch stick over the card (which you can buy on eBay), and then place the gift cards back at the store. They know someone will be purchasing those gift cards at the front in the next day or so. They keep trying the numbers to drain the cards. You don't notice because it is a gift for someone else such as a relative or friend. When your friend tries to use the gift card, it is empty.
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By dpappGift card fraud is a trillion dollar problem around the world so i thought i would talk about some of the common gift card scams so you can avoid getting scammed yourself.
We have robocalls, which are basically automated phone calls where they call you and say that you got a relative that needs bail bond, you have an administration fee for a lottery ticket you won, or something about back taxes that you need to pay, and they're going to instruct you because it's easier to go and buy some gift cards off the shelf (usually itunes or something like that), and just just send the gift card numbers over the phone so that your pay right away and they can take care of it.
Another scam call is that you got a credit card starting with the numbers "45..." and they have alerted you that there is suspicious activity such as $300 eBay charges or $1000 international gift card purchase.
I have personally received a call like this and there are plenty of red flags. Unavailable caller ID, they need you to urgently respond within 30 minutes to know if the charges or legit or not. Just hang up! Many credit cards begin with "45" so it isn't surprising that you might have one as well.
Another scam site out there where you can check your gift card balances, you enter it in the website, they drain your gift card right away...
Another possible scam on Kijiji, eBay, Craigslist or whatever you have in your area. If you are selling an expensive item such as a vehicle, or boat, or trailer. They are very interested, they send you a check as a deposit to hold it because they are busy or out of town. The next day they contact you as they can't proceed with the purchase, so you can keep $1000 for your inconvenience but can you send them the remainder of the deposit in gift cards. Of course the initial check you received is going to bounce and you just lost got money that you paid for the gift cards.
Another big one is going to a store such as Best Buy where they sell gift cards. They take a bunch that are unactivated and walk out the store. They scratch off the card number and pin code, record the information, place a new scratch stick over the card (which you can buy on eBay), and then place the gift cards back at the store. They know someone will be purchasing those gift cards at the front in the next day or so. They keep trying the numbers to drain the cards. You don't notice because it is a gift for someone else such as a relative or friend. When your friend tries to use the gift card, it is empty.