Louisiana Shoppers—Be On The Lookout For This Gift Card Scam

During the Holiday season, prepaid gift cards fly off the shelves because they are an easy and convenient gift to give someone. They eliminate the guesswork that often accompanies selecting the perfect gift. Rather than stressing over finding the right size or color, gift-givers can opt for a gift card, allowing the recipient to choose exactly what they want or need.

Before you buy those handy gift cards for your loved ones in Louisiana, there's a sneaky scam going around that you need to know about.

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How does this gift card scam work?

In the video, a police officer explains that folks are stealing prepaid gift cards from stores and then returning them to the shelves after tampering with them. They carefully open the card packages without leaving any marks. They cut off a part of the card that swipes, seal it back up, and put it back on the store shelf.

Then people like us end up buying these prepaid gift cards, adding money to them, thinking we're all set for a great gift. But later, we find out these cards are useless because the sneaky scammers have already used the codes.

How to avoid being scammed:

In the video, he explains that you should feel for the prepaid gift card in the envelope to ensure that there is a full gift card inside. If for any reason you are uncertain he then recommends bringing it to the cashier and asking if they can open it before you load any money onto the card.