My mom used to say when I was growing up “If criminals worked as hard and smart legally they’d be millionaires.” Here’s what some ingenious crooks have figured out to separate you from your money.
Gift cards are taken from open display racks (like the massive displays you see in supermarkets or small ones by a store’s cash register). Using a portable scanner that can read the codes under the scratch-off strip they copy the numbers, then put the cards back. They check the numbers later to see when the cards are activated and for how much. Before that card can be used by the person it was meant for, purchases have been made with those numbers and your gift is an empty (or almost empty) card.
To protect yourself and your gift don’t buy from the displays, always ask the cashier or manager for cards directly from the boxes they come in or from the store’s website. I’ve noticed the Menchie’s Yogurt in Encino keeps their cards behind the counter.
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