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I hope this was legit ....

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  • I hope this was legit ....

    Had an elderly couple come through my register today with A THOUSAND DOLLARS worth of Google Play gift cards -- ten cards at $100 each.

    My register locked up after I'd scanned five. I called down a manager (as instructed by the register) but there wasn't anything he could do. The customers paid for the five cards and I managed to scan the remaining five ... but then the register wouldn't let them pay.

    Manager was still standing there, but a supervisor (who had also been watching) intervened and took them to another register for the rest of the transaction (she had to go get another five cards as those were pretty much non-compos-mentis at this point, as far as I know, having been scanned but not paid for).

    All three of us did the required thing: "Are these cards going to people you know?" "Are these cards gifts for friends or family members?" "You've heard of the scams, right, where somebody calls pretending to be from Canada Revenue and wants 'payment' in gift cards ... these aren't for anything like that, right?" Etc. Etc.

    Frankly they both seemed a bit "lost" but both said, over and over, that no, these were gifts for family.

    Well ... I hope they were telling the truth, and hadn't been glommed onto by some really shrewd scammers, who told them "If anybody asks, tell them these are gifts for family members!"

    Because if that's what happened, they're now out $1,000.
    Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
    ~ Mr Hero

  • #2
    That so sounds like a scam. They make it sound like they're for family, and they fall for it. I'm surprised they didn't get declined as fraud.
    https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
    Great YouTube channel check it out!

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    • #3
      Definitely something shady. We used to have all sorts of people coming in who would buy Apple, Google, Steam, Nike, Ebay along with Visa gift cards and when we did our part and gently question we'd get the same sort of answers. There's only so much we can do. Some were getting scammed and there were some people who knew what they were doing. I don't know if the pandemic had anything to do with it but thankfully we don't seem to get as many of those any more. Guess they've moved on to a new scam.
      I would have a nice day, but I have other things to do.

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      • #4
        Yeek. I used to know a guy who frequently fell for the "hot girls wanna meet you...just send them money" scams even when I or others were there to stop him x.x


        About all I can suggest is to make it clear -- repeatedly, if need be -- that gift card are non-refundable, "not even if there are problems down the line." I.e., while mentioning that card scams are common, if management will allow it.
        "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
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        • #5
          Quoth telecom_goddess View Post
          That so sounds like a scam. They make it sound like they're for family, and they fall for it. I'm surprised they didn't get declined as fraud.
          If you mean refusing the sale, I don't think we have anything remotely like a protocol for that. All we can do is tell them about scammers who ask for gift cards, ask if they know the people these are going to, etc.

          But yeah, to quote a famous film, I had a really bad feeling about this.

          Quoth Trixie View Post
          Definitely something shady. We used to have all sorts of people coming in who would buy Apple, Google, Steam, Nike, Ebay along with Visa gift cards and when we did our part and gently question we'd get the same sort of answers. There's only so much we can do. Some were getting scammed and there were some people who knew what they were doing. I don't know if the pandemic had anything to do with it but thankfully we don't seem to get as many of those any more. Guess they've moved on to a new scam.
          I've had a couple of people come in a buy multiple gift cards, but not quite in that quantity ... and also (not sure if it matters) they were almost always a mix of gift cards. Last one before this couple was a woman buying cards for her kid's teachers ... but none of them were in that level of purchase power. We're talking cards in the $15-$25 range, and for specific stores.

          You're unfortunately correct that there's only so much the cashier (and manager) can do. It's the customer's money.

          Now you mention it, I didn't see many gift cards being bought during the lockdowns. I'm wondering if the scammers have suddenly realized that people are getting out again (although grocery stores were never shut down) and are hitting the gas pedal.

          Quoth EricKei View Post
          Yeek. I used to know a guy who frequently fell for the "hot girls wanna meet you...just send them money" scams even when I or others were there to stop him x.x

          About all I can suggest is to make it clear -- repeatedly, if need be -- that gift card are non-refundable, "not even if there are problems down the line." I.e., while mentioning that card scams are common, if management will allow it.
          Management is not only willing that we mention card scams, it's actually a requirement for cashiers if anything seems "hinky" about a gift card sale (er ... like that one ). And, of course, the register shuts down after a certain point and a manager has to be called over.

          I never thought of mentioning the non-refundable part, though; I'll keep that in mind for future reference.
          Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
          ~ Mr Hero

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          • #6
            Mark Rober gives a good look behind these scams. The lies. The threats, If scammers have fooled someone, the victim will lie to you and say that the cards are for family.

            The video:
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrKW58MS12g
            Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
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            • #7
              Yeah by declined I mean the card itself getting declined for the sale, the fraud dept at the bank I worked for declined those kinds of sales all the time.
              https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
              Great YouTube channel check it out!

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