You may have gotten a few gift cards for the holidays. What can you do if you get a gift card that doesn’t work? One woman had this problem and ended up being tricked out of a lot of money. KPRC 2 Investigates Amy Davis has a warning. Plus, what to do if you get a gift card that doesn’t work.
Amazon gift card not working, led to massive scam
A Houston woman was having an issue with her Amazon gift card. Instead of going to the Amazon website, she quickly googled ‘Amazon gift card not working’ and called the number that came up. That phone number was not Amazon.
The person on the other end told her there was an issue with her financial information and that she should call her bank. She was then transferred to another thief who pretended to be someone working for Chase Bank.
Houston attorney Mehdi Cherkaoui explains what happened next.
“So, this fake Chase, a scammer told her that her bank activity shows that she’s been involved in some money laundering and that she needs to contact the government as soon as possible. In fact, they will make it convenient for her and transfer someone. As someone in law enforcement, specifically the Federal Trade Commission. And sure enough, there was a detective that appeared again on the phone. He told her that the best course of action right now, get this to take all of the money in her account. In her situation, and this is painful, she actually had to liquidate her 401k as well. So this was a two step process,” said Cherkaoui.
The woman ended up taking out all the money in her accounts. In a strange twist, the thieves talked her into going to a gas station, and converting the money to bitcoin, and sending it to an unknown wallet.
This type of scam works because the person thinks they initiated the call to Amazon. But remember, she found the Amazon online, and that number was fake.
“I guarantee you for every major U.S. company there is a fake website set up to lure unsuspecting consumers to call them thinking it’s the legitimate company. So just as easy as you would be called from a from a number that purports to be from a company which, by the way, you can literally manipulate any number to say anything on to to say anything on your caller ID,” said Cherkaoui.
With the fake Amazon case, unfortunately, the woman did not get any of her money back.
Watch out for fake customer service websites and numbers found online
We’ve warned you before about fake numbers and websites all over the internet. Like Cherkaoui mentioned, fake customer service contact information online is a very common way scammers try to trick you. If you ever need to get ahold of customer service, it’s best to go straight to the business website or app. Here are a few quick ways you can check to see if a website you are visiting is legit.
What can you do if you get a gift card that doesn’t work?
The original problem the Amazon scam woman had was that her gift card was not working. It’s a common problem we’ve heard about before. [In one case we told you about before, new Visa Vanilla gift cards were empty.]
There are a few things you can do if you get a gift card that doesn’t work.
Check for a phone number or website on the card or gift card email.
You should be able to find the contact information on the card or email. But if not, the Federal Trade Commission has a great list of the best ways to contact gift card companies. Scroll down on this FTC page to see the complete list. This list includes places like: Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, eBay, Google Play, Walmart and Target.
If you can’t find the contact information or the card issuer doesn’t want to talk to you, report it to the FTC.
Buying and using gift cards
The FTC has a few suggested rules for buying and using gift cards.
- Stick to stores you know and trust. Avoid buying from online auction sites because the gift cards may be fake or stolen.
- Inspect the gift card before you buy it. Make sure the protective stickers are on the card and that it doesn’t look like someone tampered with them. Also check that the PIN number on the back isn’t showing. Pick a different gift card if you spot a problem and show the tampered card to a cashier or manager.
- Always keep a copy of the gift card and store receipt. Take a picture of the gift card and store receipt with your phone. The number on the gift card and store receipt will help you file a report with the gift card company if you lose the gift card or if you need to report fraud.
If you need help with a gift card company and you’ve tried everything else, you can also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.