Advertisement

Gift card scammers: How the U.S. is cracking down on fraud

09:26
Download Audio
Resume
Gift cards are displayed at a Target store, in New York, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. (Richard Drew/AP)
Gift cards are displayed at a Target store, in New York, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. (Richard Drew/AP)

The Department of Homeland Security has launched a task force to crack down on gift card fraud.

The grift goes like this: Criminals steal gift cards from a store display, copy the numbers and slap on a new barcode. Then they place the cards back on a rack, ready for an unwitting customer to load their own money onto a tampered card that the criminal can steal.

Federal agents say the scheme is coordinated and tied to Chinese organized crime.

Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with ProPublica reporter Craig Silverman.

This segment aired on April 17, 2024.

Advertisement

More from Here & Now

Listen Live
Close