Discussions

So I bought a 200.00 prepaid visa as a gift in Brandon. It was sealed in a packaged and I had bought it two weeks before giving it as a gift. When the card was used it wouldn’t work. I went back to the store where I purchased it and apparently the card I had and the card I bought were not the same. (Numbers didn’t match). I called visa and someone had activated my card and had been using it. I’m assuming it was swiped out by the cashier and they gave my an unactivated card and stole my $200.00. It’s the only way this could have happened.

This happened to me with a gift card for xmas in Oct.  
The store went back and looked at security tapes from that date and the cashier.  
Saw how she switched out.  
Also looked at other recordings and found that she had been doing this scam for awhile and they fired her.  
One of the things that helped my argument was that I bought in October and it was used in the same store the next day and no one would do that as I had a gift receipt.  
ALWAYS before leaving the teller compare the # on the card to the receipt. Don't worry about people behind you. This is too important.  
 
Personally I would never buy a credit card gift card. There is an activation fee plus a fee each month whether you use it or not. Someone I know waited a year before using and the money was all used due to fees.  
 
Better to buy gift cards for specific businesses.  
 
And don't buy Mall wide for all stores there. There is fees for that as well.  
 
I feel for you as I know I was very upset.  
 
Now I always check numbers and ask anyone I give a gift card to, let me if they don't work. People receiving gifts sometimes don't want to tell the giver.

This is happening all over, not just in Brandon. If you google “prepaid visa scams”, you’ll see many stories of it going on in many places, and how it’s happening. So tired of all the scams now against people who work hard for their money.

I always buy my visa gift cards )and I buy a LOT) from a tiny 6-employee store where the gift cards are far from the till and I know the employees by name. I have never had a problem, and if I did, I would know who dunnit! That’s the benefit of supporting the little guy. Maybe try that - don’t give up on Visa gift cards, they really are so useful.

Ya because the "little guy" has never ripped anyone off. I think the message here is to always watch what your buying and to double check your receipts. It doesn't matter if it's a 6 employee store or a 600 you could still get ripped off. Be alert and watch for scams there are tons of dishonest losers out there.

I went to the store and they looked at the camera and said it wasn’t the cashier. But when they compared my card to one at customer service my card had a huge sticker over the bar code that isn’t suppose to be there. They also said they never put out 200.00 cards on the floor so they think it was planted there!!

if they see that it was done wrong. They need to refund you not any garbage of you going after Visa.  
 
Their store was the one who took your money. They are the ones who had a dishonest employee.  
 
Really cashier didn't do anything wrong. Do you know how easy it is to do this scam of switching cards by the cashier? I am not going to tell you how but it can be done and not be seen by the camera.  
 
Plus the cashier to activate a card has to take off the sticker and scan the bar code in the debt machine or the till depending on the type to activate. If you saw them do this, then they switched your card.  
 
Everyone has to make sure they check receipts, cards, watch teller, etc. to make sure they aren't being scammed. Remember that even the nicest people can be crooks or how does a con work otherwise.  
 
Perhaps pick the bitc..... teller as she is probably the most honest of all as she doesn't put up with any BS. Just a joke.

Happens with Walmart gift cards as well. My family received a bunch from our grandparents, and none of them were activated. This was around Christmas time a couple years ago. Scammers are everywhere.

Treated me like a criminal and basically accused me of bringing in an empty gift card. It was later discovered that my card number didn’t match the number on the receipt and that sticker that was on it was actually a barcode and some how when it was swiped someone else received my money. Eventually the store gave me a new card but they were very rude to me. So if you buy a gift card check the number on the back of the card and your receipt before leaving the store.

Given the circumstance, I would be apprehensive of doing business with that store again. Given that the fraud was seemingly easy enough to prove.

Unfortunately if the cameras do not show a cashier switching out a card, it could just as easily be (from the store's point of view) the customer that did the switch. Pick 2 cards off the rack, pay for one, pocket the other then later go back with the receipt and the invalid card and claim that is the one you bought-while someone else has already spent the money loaded onto the good card. The store cannot prove that the customer did this so they honor the receipt, but I can see where they may suspect it.