Community Alert – Gift Card Fraud

Community Alert- Gift Card Fraud

As the holidays approach, the Abington Police Department would like alert the community of a new gift card fraud that is sweeping the country, and is currently prevalent  in the Montgomery County and Abington region. Suspects steal empty gift cards from the racks at grocery stores, drug stores, and other retail establishments. They then carefully open the gift cards, record all relevant data into a sophisticated computer program, neatly reseal the gift cards, and return them to the shelves. The casual consumer would never even know that the card had been tampered with. When the victim then purchases the card by loading money onto it, the thief is notified, and immediately depletes the funds. The victim is left with an empty gift card.

What you can do to reduce the risk of becoming a victim: Do not purchase gift cards from the rack in a retail store. Make your gift card purchases on-line, at a bank, or at the original location where the gift card is tendered to and the cards are kept non-accessible to the public.