BUYER BEWARE: GIFT CARD SCAM ALERT!

                                       

Protect Yourself!
I know this is a completely out-of-the-ordinary post for me, seeing this is primarily a food blog, but I really wanted to share this article with you BEFORE you  start shopping for holiday gift cards.

I wrote the article, BUYER BEWARE: GIFT CARD SCAM ALERT! during the height of the holiday season last year. The article is about those cute little gift cards you see in all the stores lately. Big retailers like Circuit City, Best Buy, Sears and Home Depot are pumping out the handy-dandy cards left and right, making it very easy for you to get all your shopping done at the cash register. With minimal effort or thought on your part, you could save lots of time by not shopping at crowded malls with rude shoppers. 

Bank Cards, Major Restaurant Chains and iTunes
Restaurants such as Olive Garden, Cracker Barel, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday and Cheesecake Factory are big sellers too. Even the fast food joints will sell a record number of gift cards this year. Starbucks, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway and Dunkin Donuts cards can be purchased right off the supermarket shelf. Some of the biggest sellers are iTunes, Barnes & Noble, American Express and major bank cards. I mean, what could possibly be easier than gift cards, except for maybe COLD HARD CASH? Pick out a gift card, buy it and give it away. Your Christmas shopping is done. Not so quick! There are some things you might want to consider before buying. 

Holiday Fraud and Theft at an All Time High
If you do anything this holiday season to save yourself undue headaches and aggravation, as well as tons of money, please read this article,  It may seem like I'm patting myself on the back for this one - I did win an Editor's Choice Award for it - but considering the time of year we find ourselves in, this could be the best piece of advice I could give you. If you read anything at all that I write this year, please, do yourself a favor and educate yourself with this potential money-sucking, account-draining gift card scam alert! Pass the article  BUYER BEWARE: GIFT CARD SCAM ALERT! along to your friends and family as well. The money you save could be your own!

Another article that you might be interested in, is Buying & Giving Holiday Gift Cards.

Comments

[Liliana]

Thanks for alerting us to this scam. I usually buy gift cards at Christmas and now I will be more careful.

Great article!

[susan in FL]

I see you don't mention all the stores going out of business. Remember to do your homework on the store as well. Many are closing down or closing stores in some areas.

[Donna Diegel]

Yes, that's also a very real concern. Not knowing which stores are closing before you buy the cards also puts you and the receiver at a disadvantage. There have been reports of false rumors, naming stores that aren't closing and not reporting stores that have.

I wrote this article a year ago. I can't change the article. However, the scam alerts may be even more pertinent now than they were last year. All I'm saying is, be careful with the cards you buy and where you buy them. We should all do our homework before we buy. Bottom line: Protect yourself, and when in doubt, don't buy.