LUBBOCK, Texas – A police report obtained by EverythingLubbock.com Wednesday detailed an incident regarding a compromised Walmart gift card that was under investigation in Lubbock as a fraud. The case serves as a reminder that while gift cards are a common holiday purchase, they can also be a common target for scams.
The police report said that the compromised gift card received in the mail only had $1.30, despite the initial balance being $150. According to the report, neither the recipient nor the buyer of the card had made any purchases.
Upon looking at the gift card’s transaction history, the recipient noticed a series of purchases made on Walmart.com that the recipient did not recognize and were made prior to receiving the gift card. The recipient filed a report with the FTC and contacted Walmart’s Customer Service, who offered to send recovered funds in the amount $1.30 to any Walmart store.
So, what can be done in a situation like this?
Texas Tech University Associate Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Dr. Deidre Popovich, told EverythingLubbock.com that the recipient took all the correct steps in this situation. They reported the scam to the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov), the retailer, and the local authorities.
