How to make sure you don’t fall for a gift card scam this holiday season

FBI, BBB puts out warning

DETROIT – The FBI and Better Business Bureau (BBB) are issuing warnings about gift card scams this holiday season.

Gift cards tend to be a reliable gift for the holidays. The Target gift card is one of the most popular and thieves know it.

So far this year, 40,000 people fell victim to gift card scams for a total of $148 million in losses. The retailers hit the most are Target, Apple and Amazon.

“Gift card scams are a persistent issue across the retail industry. Target takes these crimes extremely seriously and we use a multi-layered, comprehensive approach to mitigate fraud that includes technology, team member training and collaboration with law enforcement,” Laura Blankenship with the BBB said.

Watch the video above for the full report.

Read: Complete Help Me Hank coverage


About the Author

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

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