'It’s a scam': Guelph woman warns of gift card tampering
A Guelph woman is warning others to be vigilant this holiday season when buying gift cards on display at retailers.
Menalyn Santillana said she nearly fell victim to buying tampered gift cards twice at her local Walmart, on Woodlawn Road.
“I freaked out, of course, like this is real. It’s true. It’s happening,” she said. “It’s a scam.”
On Tuesday she went to the store to purchase gift cards as Christmas gifts, but she said before she went to the cashier, she ran her finger along the gift cards barcode and noticed the texture of the barcode was raised.
“I’d seen there’s a sticker [barcode] on top of the barcode itself,” she explained.
A Guelph woman said she noticed there was something different about the gift card she was about to purchase. (Submitted/Menalyn Santillana)
Santilliana said she was too nervous to buy the gift cards that day, so she left empty handed.
When she returned to the store the next day, she noticed the same thing.
Guelph Police said they are aware of this scam, and said it is happening across the entire retail sector.
“Essentially what fraudsters are doing is they’re coming into businesses that have like the big rolodex of different types of gift cards. They’re taking some of the gift cards without purchasing them, taking them home and then they’re laser printing barcodes of gift cards that they personally own, sticking it over top of the barcode,” said Det. Brooke Drake with Guelph Police’s fraud unit.
The scammers then bring the tampered cards back to the store.
“So you’re loading money onto their card, as opposed to purchasing a gift card for whomever,” said Det. Drake.
Police said there are several ways to spot a fraudulent gift card.
First, look at the barcode to see if it’s raised. If is it, peel the sticker off.
Second, check to see if the gift card that being purchased matches the description on the cashier’s computer.
“Let’s say you’re picking up an Amazon gift card for $50 … [the cashier] will ring it in and it could come up as an LCBO gift card, a PlayStation card, it could come up as anything,” said. Det. Drake. “That’s the card that the fraudster personally has in their name, so you’re loading money onto their card.”
Jon Rumley, the manager of corporate affairs with Walmart Canada said in a statement, “we take concerns of this nature seriously and investigate them promptly.”
“Walmart Canada issues and processes thousands of gift cards daily and incidents of gift card tampering are extremely rare. Gift card tampering is a challenge for all retailers, especially at this time of year. That’s why we have measures in place to protect our customers, including in-store signage and tips online about best practices for gift card fraud prevention. To further protect our customers, our gift card displays are in high-traffic areas and our associates are trained to regularly monitor gift cards for signs of tampering.”
Santillana said she wanted to spread the word, to help others from getting scammed.
“Just double check your gift card. Just make sure the back of your gift card is very plain – there’s no sticker on it. If you’re aware of it, you’ll notice it. But if not, you won’t notice it,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.