Costco shoppers warn against buying these popular gift cards because of scams

While Costco is famous for its incredible bargains on a variety of products, purchasing these gift cards could potentially result in the worst value purchase you’ll ever make.

If you have visited Costco before, you are likely familiar with the popular digital gift card bundles they offer at discounted prices, often below their original value.

These packages frequently include popular brands such as Xbox and Dominos, with four $25 gift cards priced at $89.99 or lower. This ensures that customers are receiving a fantastic deal on their purchase.

Despite previous circumstances, a recent Reddit thread has revealed a deceitful operation carried out by thieves which results in customers activating their cards and discovering that the full amount of funds is not available.

Beware of Gift Card Scam Reported by Customers

A Reddit user shared their experience of buying the four-pack of $25 Dominos gift cards at Costco, only to find out that one of the cards was only worth $15. The shopper expressed disappointment and a loss of trust in the purchase, as it went against the purpose of buying the discounted cards.

Unfortunately, it appears that many people have experienced the same thing.

Bought $100 worth of Dominos Gift Cards, Found the First Gift card has a starting balance of $15 byu/Gold_Measurement_486 inCostco

Another user commented on the post, sharing their experience with a similar issue involving Dominos gift cards purchased digitally from Costco. They stated that while two $25 cards were unaffected, the other two were completely closed.

“A different shopper tried to clarify the topic, mentioning, “I recently saw a video about gift card theft and it seems to be a prevalent issue nowadays.”

According to Fox News, this scam is gaining popularity. It entails depleting gift cards of their value before they can be utilized, making it an appealing scheme for thieves since the theft often goes unnoticed until the gift card holder tries to redeem it.

How do gift card scams work?

This gift card scam is virtually undetectable.

Usually, these fraudsters will peel off the silver covering from the gift card number, record the number, or capture a photo of it, and then reapply the silver covering without being noticed for any alteration.

Based on the original Reddit thread, challenging fraudulent charges with your bank can be incredibly challenging and often results in law enforcement not pursuing the thieves due to a lack of evidence regarding the timing of the crime.

According to a post on Reddit, a supposed employee at the Costco call center has pleaded with shoppers to refrain from purchasing digital gift cards due to the increasing prevalence of scams.

The employee asserts that numerous Costco members have filed complaints, including a mother of four who purchased $1,000 worth of Disney gift cards and discovered that all of them had a balance of $0.

According to the employee, Costco’s return policy states that gift cards are non-refundable. As a result, the chances of receiving a refund for a drained card are highly unlikely.

“Kindly refrain from taking any chances. I am tired of handling these issues and having to inform members that their cards have been redeemed in a different location by someone with a completely different name,”they stated.

Currently, Costco has not issued a statement regarding the widespread issue. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that not all stores are affected by this theft and numerous customers have successfully purchased these gift cards without any complications.