MADISON, Wis.– It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when gift cards can serve as the perfect holiday gift. But if you’re not careful with where and how you buy them, you could be stuffing the stockings of scammers this Christmas.
“Gift cards are always the right size and color, they’re a great gift. They’re an easy gift,” said Tiffany Schultz, the Southwest Wisconsin Regional Director for the Better Business Bureau.
According to Schultz, more gift cards fly off store shelves around the holidays — but the one you pick up may have been tampered with.
“Scammers are notorious for opening the packaging, scratching off the numbers, recording those numbers,” Schultz said. “And as soon as you go ahead and purchase those gift cards they have emptied the gift card before the gift recipient can even get it.”
To get ahead of the Grinches, make sure the protective stickers are on the card, flip it around to check the pin number isn’t scratched off, and feel around the barcode for a fake one that may be stuck on.
Retailers and credit card companies are trying to help, too. According to Schultz, some registers only allow you to purchase $500 in gift cards without a supervisor override and some questions. Credit card companies are also calling or texting their customers, asking them if they made the purchase.
“Everybody is…
