Could you be a victim of a gift card scam? Police say most people never realize they are

The Alameda Police Department has uncovered $6,000 worth of fraudulent gift cards in that city alone.

Police are warning residents about a gift card scam making its way across California, after an investigation found nearly $6,000 worth of fraudulent gift cards in Alameda alone.

“We found that the same scam is happening here in the Bay Area, with the majority of these incidents going UNREPORTED,” said the Alameda Police Department in a Facebook post on Thursday. “Often, the customer (the victim) never realized they had fallen victim to a scam.”

After stealing gift cards in bulk, scammers scratch off the cards’ information and copy down the numbers, the police department said. They then repackage the cards with a fake scratch-off label, making the cards seem new. They then return the cards to the store – and the people who buy the gift cards receive a product with a zero dollar balance.

“Often the customer does not realize the card has been tampered with. Especially if it was given as a gift to another person. If the gift recipient doesn’t know where the card was originally purchased from, they can’t go back to report it to the store,” the Alameda Police Department said on Facebook.

Here are a few things to watch out for when selecting a gift card for purchase, according to the police:

• Compare the scratch off stickers: A gift card that has been tampered with will have a sticker with slightly different font and spacing than a card that was never used.
• Look out for separation at the seams, and edges that don’t match: If there is space between the card and its scratch off sticker, or the front and the back of the gift card, it might have been resealed.
• Watch for glue residue: Sloppy resealing might leave glue residue on the packaging and the physical gift card itself.
• Signs of use: Check the magnetic strip or front of the card for slide marks or other signs of wear-and-tear.