The wife's son sent me a $50 gift card for my birthday. I always go to the store the card is drawn on and check to make sure the gift card is good. I don't know why, really, I do this, other than my inbred distrust of anything having to do with modern technology. Add to that the issues we have had on this forum with those up to no good, incites my natural suspicion. Sure enough, when I had this card checked, I found that it was purchased on September 1 in North Caroline and was "spent", traded for cash, in a store in Miami, Florida, on September 16. Company policy forbids honoring gift cards for cash for this very reason. What happened?
Apparently, there is a group of scammers that target all commercial retail establishments. The scam involves using RFID readers. They have these readers in their pocket and can simply walk past those kiosks in stores with all kinds of gift cards. They record the numbers of these cards and can tell when they are activated. Then they 3-D print another card, transfer the stolen numbers to it, then use the card. If they can't trade it for cash, they buy something in the store, then put that item on ebay or FMP. The person who bought the card and the issuing store are out the money. My guess is that this may be an inside job, due to the fact it was honored for cash. How to avoid this"
NEVER, NEVER buy a gift card from a kiosk in a store. Have the person sending you the gift card, go to the company website and send you an email with a QR code or bar code. Print this code, take it to the store, have them issue you a card that has been secure, not on a kiosk. This gift card can then be used securely. Never reload a gift card. If there is a reader in the store connected to the bad guys, they can get the money you reload the card with. Use the card until it is spent, then discard it. Shreddding is recommended. Using the card value in one transaction is also recommended.
I spoke with the Asset Protection manager at the store that issued the card. He says, with a receipt, the wife's son should recover his money, since it was honored for cash, against company policy. There is tracking on gift cards in case their is an issue with theft.