Courtesy/FBI

FBI News:

EL PASO, Texas — Gift cards have become a staple for any special occasion. They are readily available at any store for our shopping ease. Scammers have come up with another way to take money from the gift cards we purchase for family and friends.

Scammers place fake barcodes on the back of real gift card barcodes in the stores. When you purchase the card, the cashier scans the fake barcode at the checkout, which quietly pushes your money into the scammer’s gift card account, leaving you with a zero balance.

Protect yourself by examining the back of the gift card before buying it. Check for signs of tampering. Make sure the gift card’s barcode number, which is visible through the window on the back of the gift card’s packaging, matches the number on the packaging itself. Don’t purchase if the barcode is on a sticker, or if the package is ripped, wrinkled, bent, or looks tampered with.

Don’t pull off the first gift card from the rack. Try to get one in the middle or the back. Even then, there’s no guarantee that it hasn’t been tampered with so make sure you’re closely inspecting all gift cards.

Pay attention to what’s displayed when it’s scanned at checkout to make sure it matches.

If you have been victimized by an online crime, make a report to the FBI. You can file an online report at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call the FBI El Paso Field Office at 915.832.5000.