Brandon police warn of prepaid VISA scam
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/12/2021 (1435 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Christmas shoppers beware — the Brandon Police Service is warning of a new scam targeting prepaid VISA cards.
Fraudsters are stealing packaged prepaid VISA gift cards from stores and opening them, according to police.
They then cut off the part of the card needed to redeem it and put the rest of the card back in the package. Police say they re-seal the packing with “little evidence” of it being tampered with.
The fraudsters place the package back on the store’s shelf and take home the part of the card needed for redemption.
Once the card is activated upon purchase by another customer, the scammers steal the money loaded onto the card.
Acting public information officer Const. Amanda Conway said the police service has so far only received one complaint of this type of scam.
Shoppers should be on the lookout for any packages that look suspicious when buying the cards, she said.
“Apparently, they’re hard to tell they’ve been tampered with, but I would keep an eye out … and hopefully the stores will start putting those types of gift cards behind the till,” she said.
The Manitoba RCMP has not received any reports of this type of fraud, spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre said in an email.
If someone believes they are a victim of fraud, they should report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Manaigre said.
People should also monitor their bank accounts regularly for any suspicious activity and update their personal identification number (PIN) and online banking passwords on a regular basis, he said.
This type of prepaid VISA card scam is not currently listed on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website.
» dmay@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @DrewMay_