Ontario woman ‘shocked’ after unused $250 gift card contained only $1.50 – CP24
An Ontario woman was “shocked” when she discovered her unused $250 gift card was almost completely used up.
“My aunt gave me this gift card as a gift and I was shocked to find it was almost empty,” Catherine Uchida of Mississauga told CTV News Toronto.
Uchida received a $250 Joker Visa gift card, but she said when she went to buy a jacket with it, the cashier told her there was a problem.
“I decided to look at the gift card and the amount on the card and it said I only had $1.50 even though I had never used it before,” Uchida said.
Even stranger, the gift card showed transactions made far from where she lived.
“It said I had made transactions in Hamilton and Etobicoke, but I had not been to either location where the card was used,” Uchida said.
Gift card scams have been around for years, but there seems to be a resurgence during the holidays as criminals know that gift cards are a popular gift.
It’s often called a “gift card scam” because criminals tamper with gift cards so that when they’re full of cash, they get the money instead.
To make this work, criminals typically go to a store, copy the gift card number and activation code from the barcode, and then reseal the package before putting it back on the shelf. They can also put a fraudulent barcode sticker on the card.
Once the card is activated, the money added will go directly to the scammer instead of the gift card that was just purchased.
To avoid being duped, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends carefully inspecting a gift card before purchasing.
‘Run your finger over the map. Does it look like a sticker has been placed over the barcode? Does it appear that the package has been opened and perhaps taped back together? said Melanie McGovern of the BBB.
To further protect yourself from fraud, purchase gift cards from behind the counter or sold online, and keep a receipt in case there is a problem.
In Uchida’s case, she was able to file a dispute with Visa and they agreed to give her a $250 replacement gift card. Because the replacement card was sent by mail, Uchida is unsure when she will receive the card due to the ongoing Canada Post strike.
As for gift cards, she’s worried this could happen again.
“It really concerns me that someone is spending their hard-earned money or someone who really needs the $250 and they might not get it at all because it will be gone before they even know it,” Uchida said.
