Winnipeg police are warning shoppers to take a good look at the packaging on gift cards after uncovering a scam that could leave gift recipients with worthless cards under the tree this holiday season.
In a release Thursday, police said scammers have been stealing inactive prepaid credit cards in their packaging from local retail stores.
They’ll then replace the real card with a blank or used card, often placing a sticker on the blank card to make it look real, before resealing the package and placing it back in the store.
Then they and wait for an unsuspecting customer to buy the card.
Because the cards are activated at the time of purchase by using a magnetic strip on the packaging — not the card — the scammer’s stolen card will be the one that actually works.
The scammer will then head back to the store to use the activated card.
Police say anyone buying a prepaid gift card should examine the packaging carefully and report anything unusual to store employees or the prepaid card’s vendor.
Reports of tampered prepaid gift cards can also be made to Winnipeg police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
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