Gift Card Scammer?

[purplecat41877]

Today, a customer tried to buy a whole bunch of gift cards and one other item. I asked the customer how she would be paying and she told me credit. I asked for her ID and she didn't have it with her. Luckily, I don't ring up gift cards until I know how they're paying and if it's credit I ask for ID. She told me she would get her ID and come back and she never did. I had rung up the one item that wasn't a gift card and I had to get the order voided so I could continue to ring up customers.

[Enjis]

How it always went in my store:
Person steals credit card number (or card iteslf)
Person has imprint made of the magnetic stripe on back of stolen card, with all of the original's info.
Person puts mag stripe on their OWN card.
Person comes into my store, wanting to use 'their' card to buy gift cards or merchandise.
I ring up items...then run card. they are ALWAYS happy to show ID, usually handing it to me before I even ask ('cuz the card has THEIR name on it, remember?)
THEN, I check the screen (it shows the name that is on THE MAG STRIPE) and the last four didgets of the account number that PRINTS on the reciept.
If these names and numbers DON'T MATCH (and they NEVER do) I tell the guest that I cannot complete the sale. (at this point it has gone through...but I don't give them the merchandise or gift cards)
I offer to call Loss Prevention for them...if they'd like to talk to someone about it...

They rant and rage...as they back out of the department, and hightail it for the escalator......
(LP has to get all the info from me, and refund the stolen card...and contact the bank that issued it too)

Damn thieves. I told SO many of my fellow sales staff about this...and they were always happy I did.
Hope this helps someone. (I worked at Macy's, if this helps...)

[fireheart]

This is why store policy at work is to send anyone who wants to buy a gift card that's higher than $100 over to the service desk, regardless of payment method. People have caught us out before.

[MoonChild2007]

Sure enough she is a scammer. One incident i will never forget was when one of my co-workers was ringing up a gift card and it was about 500.00 I think. I told him to call a head cashier. Then I left to go home. when I walked up, my head cashier was glad that i had said something cause the two customers were in fact scam artists. So yeah, be VERY cautious about gift cards especially those over 500.00.

[mattm04]

We had two people try to buy $1500+ of Best Buy gift cards withe a CC. The Cards owner had contacted the bank to report the card stolen. when it cam up "contact issuer" they fled.

They tried it at a nearby store where LP had been altered. They were arrested their. They also had some Soc. Sec. cards a stack of credit cards and stolen merchandise in their car.

[Enjis]

Always be wary of the amount $500.00. I believe it is the limit most fake cards can go to. I never once had a person buying a $500.00 gift card that wasn't a scam. (or using a $500.00 gift card to buy merchandise. You know the gift card was bought with a stolen card. These are harder to stop tho, since they already used the stolen card, and there is nothing to show that the gift card they are using is fake...grrrrr)