Gangs are ‘draining’ thousands of pounds in hard-earned cash from customers in the lucrative £8bn gift card and voucher market.
Organised crime gangs are secretly rigging gift cards to “drain” thousands of pounds in hard-earned cash from Scots shoppers in a new high-tech scam.
Gift cards remain one of the most popular ways to give at Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, with the UK gift card and voucher market worth around £8billion a year.
With thousands of Scots expected to buy gift cards in the run-up to Christmas, they are being urged to check them carefully and report anything suspicious to store staff.
Police Scotland have now warned that prepaid gift cards are being tampered with in a sophisticated online scam known as “gift card draining”.
They say the three-stage scam sees gangs steal and tamper with gift cards before returning them to shop shelves. When an unsuspecting shopper buys and activates the card, the cruel fraudsters are lurking online to siphon off the cash.
Many victims may be unaware they have been conned until weeks or even months later, when the recipient tries to use the gift card only to discover the money has already been drained. By that time both the fraudsters and their cash are long gone.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “While we are aware of gift card draining, offences of this nature are currently not reported in significant numbers within Scotland, however, we would urge retailers and customers to always remain vigilant.
“Store staff can help prevent such offences by displaying gift cards close to tills and other areas where it is less easy for criminals to steal them without being detected.
“For the public, we would ask that you inspect any gift card prior to purchase and if there is any evidence of tampering do not buy it – instead report it to staff within the premises.
“Any incidents of gift card thefts should be reported to police immediately.”
It comes after Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Task Force (RCTF) recently helped smash a crime gang accused of rigging gift cards before putting them back on shop shelves.
The scam was uncovered during a joint operation in May and June involving RCTF and a national retailer being targeted by crooks running a gift card sting across Scotland and England.
They say it led to two arrests with officers seizing more than 800 gift vouchers and £12,000 in cash.
Shoppers are advised to check packaging for signs of tampering, choose cards from secure or staffed locations where possible and always keep their receipt.
Data shows shoplifting has surged to an all-time high and now accounts for over 45% of all crimes of dishonesty in Scotland.
According to Police Scotland, more than 53,000 retail crimes were recorded in the year to March – up almost 20% on the previous 12 months.
Shop workers are increasingly finding themselves on the frontline of the shoplifting crisis, facing the brunt of brazen and sometimes violent offenders targeting stores and leaving staff exposed to abuse and intimidation.
Police estimates up to February 28 show the scale of the epidemic, with 5089 shoplifting charges or detections recorded, alongside 1122 arrests and 601 charges relating to offences against retail workers.
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