Halifax police warn of local prepaid gift card scam

There have been some reports of tampered prepaid gift cards that allow scammers to access the card’s funds

HALIFAXtoday\ Chris Stoodley

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Halifax Regional Police is warning people of a prepaid gift card scam after receiving some reports of fraud in the city.

The reports indicated that some gift cards were tampered with to allow scammers to access the funds when the cards are activated.

“The cards have been purchased at a number of retailers across the region,” an HRP news release says.

HRP provides the following tips to follow when purchasing prepaid gift cards:

• Check to see if the gift card has been tampered with. That could include having an additional barcode sticker covering the legitimate barcode or a scratched off pin code
• Ensure the information on the receipt matches the purchased card
• Keep the receipt until you can verify that it’s working and the funds are available
• If the card has been drained of funds, contact the retailer and file a police report

Retailers and citizens who have lost money as a result of gift card scams can file a report with the police by calling 902-490-5020.