By Jo Anne Ruppenthal Community Policing-Resortative Justice Coordinator
Well, it’s that time of the year again ... scams, thefts and frauds; oh and plus, seasonal holiday rituals with family and friends. Don’t make this season easy for those that will take advantage of your kindness.
When out shopping, make sure you take your receipt, cover up your PIN when using debit machines, and put your bags in your trunk - out of sight.
If you can’t find that perfect gift, of course, like most of us, it’s hard to find so the next best alternative is gift cards, right? I like them as stocking stuffers, but make sure you aren’t buying an altered card.
The new scam is stealing “unloaded” cards and then putting a new barcode on the back and then replacing them in the store. So, when you purchase the gift card and “load” it at the cashier, you aren’t actually giving someone a $25 card. You are giving them a blank, because the barcode that was scanned by the cashier actually was a barcode for the thief’s own pleasure (i.e. You topped off his/her Xbox account, or their other store gift card, or whatever type of barcode s/he put on the back).
So, rule of thumb, always run your finger along the back of a gift card - if it’s flat and smooth - good to go. If it’s not, give it to a store employee, so that they can remove it from the display. I recently came upon one, actually several in a store; luckily it was me that was purchasing for a friend’s Birthday, because I saved about five people from being taken by a thief!
Hope you have a safe holiday and check out the “Community Policing- South Okanagan Similkameen” Facebook page for more tips. See you next year!