Gift card tampering (which can lead to “skimming,” where criminals drain the value of gift cards after tampering with the packaging and stealing the card numbers) is not a new type of scam, Weaver said. Those codes on the back of a gift card can be manipulated to send scammers the value of the card the minute you purchase it. “Unfortunately, like other payment tools, criminals have found ways to abuse gift cards and take advantage of honest shoppers.” “Gift cards have been the number one requested gift for nearly 20 years,” says Martha Weaver, spokeswoman for the Retail Gift Card Association. Scammers have found ways of turning the popular choice into a minefield that could steal your money and leave your intended recipient with no gift. Millions of shoppers turn to the quick and traditionally easy choice for giving a Christmas present - a gift card.ĭon’t be quick to go that route, experts say.

(Marvin Clemons/Las Vegas Review-Journal) A rack of gift cards with cards from dozens or merchants at a Smith's store on East Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas on Friday, Dec.

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