Santa Clara County DA: Be wary of store-bought gift cards
For release on October 16, 2024
CONTACT:
George Tran
Deputy District Attorney
Organized Retail Theft
Major Crime & Drug Trafficking Unit
(408) 792-1086
[email protected]
Santa Clara County DA: Be wary of store-bought gift cards
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is warning the public about a gift card scam. Think twice about purchasing store-bought gift cards.
Organized criminal networks steal gift cards, tamper with them, and put the doctored cards back on the rack for consumers to buy. After the gift cards are purchased and loaded with funds, the culprits deplete the funds.
Experts say that the scheme is rising as we approach the holiday gift giving season. To raise awareness, the DA’s Office has released a short public service announcement that can be used by the media or public.
Americans spend about $230 billion on gift card purchases annually.
“Please be cautious about buying gift cards from stands or shelves at stores,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “You could inadvertently be giving a thief a gift this holiday season.”
Please protect yourself if you intend to purchase gift cards:
- Buy online gift cards from the official retailer website. Remember to purchase from reliable and trustworthy online sources.
- If you purchase a gift card off the rack, don’t pick up ones that are unsecured. Look for gift cards secured behind a counter or where a store employee must hand it to you.
- Look out for signs of tampering like excess glue, loose packaging, skewed tamper stickers, any ripples or bubbles, or if the cardboard appears like it has been opened. Even one suspicious tampered card should raise red flags about the remaining cards on the rack.
- Include the gift receipt for your gift card recipient.
- If you receive a gift card, check the balance. If there is an option to change the PIN, do so. If there are no funds on a gift card, report it immediately to the person who gifted it to you, report it to the store, and report to law enforcement. Be sure to keep the packaging.
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