Name: How to avoid gift card scams this holiday season
Uploaded: 2025-12-15T17:48:42.475Z
Duration: 1 min 57 s
Description: Gift cards remain a popular choice for holiday shoppers, offering convenience and flexibility for both givers and recipients. However, experts warn that these convenient presents are also prime targets for scammers.

Gift cards remain a popular choice for holiday shoppers, offering convenience and flexibility for both givers and recipients. However, experts warn that these convenient presents are also prime targets for scammers.

Gift cards remain a popular choice for holiday shoppers, with an estimated $29 billion expected to be spent on them, according to the National Retail Federation. However, experts caution that gift cards are also a common target for scams, with criminals tampering with cards on store racks to steal funds once they are loaded.

To reduce the risk of falling victim to these scams, cybersecurity experts recommend buying gift cards kept behind counters or purchasing digital cards. Consumers are also advised to keep receipts, check balances promptly, and transfer funds into store accounts when possible. In California, shoppers can request cash for gift card balances under $10.

How to avoid gift card scams this holiday season

If you're in a pinch, or if you don't have a ton of time to find that perfect gift, a gift card is the way to go. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you're getting the most out of that car. I love gift cards. I love giving him and I love getting him gift cards continue to grow in popularity. They're convenient to buy. Recipients can choose what they want, and it allows the gift giver the option of controlling how much they spend. According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers are expected to spend $29 billion on gift cards this holiday season, with the average people give going from $20 to $50 a card. But experts say gift cards are also one of the easiest targets for scams. Nicholas Behar is a professor of cybersecurity works at USD. He says it's easy for scammers to cash in on your card. What the scammers are doing now is they'll actually go into the store and they'll take some gift cards off the rack and get them to the back and put another sticker on it. So like that when you load the gift card or when somebody loads the gift card they'll they're constantly checking and then they can withdraw that that money. So if you're buying a gift card, he recommends getting the cards that are locked up near a cash register counter or buying a digital gift card. He says you should always keep a copy of your receipt. If you've received a gift card, he suggests checking the balance quickly. Amazon gift card as an example and you load it right into that money is now in your account, so you don't have to worry about the gift card being empty. Once you got the money off, you've got it in your Amazon account. You've got it in your Starbucks account. Then you have the money in the account, so it's there's. It's less likely that the attacker is going to be able to access those funds. And after you're done shopping in California, if the remaining balance on the card is less than $10, remember the store must give you the value in cash if you ask for it. Marie Cornell, ABC 10 news.

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