Month 200x Archive

As Authored by Matt

Chicken Little was right.

FRAUD ALERT [ 04 Dec 2006 ]

Well, the crooks have found a way to rob you of your gift card balance.

If you buy gift cards from a display rack that has various store cards you may become a victim of theft. Crooks are now jotting down the card numbers in the store and then wait a few days and call to see how much of a balance THEY have on the card. Once they find the card is "activated", they then go online and start shopping.

You may want to purchase your card from a customer service person, where they do not have the gift cards viewable to the public.

As the holiday season approaches, remember to keep purchases, purses, backpacks and other bags out of view by locking them in your trunk. Criminals know to walk through shopping center parking lots to look for your newly purchased gifts. Also, be sure to keep the receipts separate from the purchased items. Criminals often return the items for cash or a gift card before you ever know they`re gone!

Detective Lloyd Carlson
Fraud Unit
West Des Moines Police Department
250 Mills Civic Pwky
West Des Moines, IA 50265

Solutions to Holiday Fraud

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