BOCA RATON, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are warning the public about a scam that may have an impact on holiday shoppers.
Boca Raton Police are cautioning shoppers to be wary of fake barcodes that may be placed on gift cards.
“Scammers are printing out their own barcodes and placing them over the actual gift card barcode at local retailers,” police wrote on Facebook. “When the card is activated, the money is added to the scammer’s card instead of the card being purchased.”
Police said that while the scam isn’t new, officers recently had a case where fraudulent barcodes were found on gift cards during a routine check by a store employee.
Investigators recommend examining the back of the gift card before you buy it and checking for signs of tampering, like barcode stickers.
“Make sure the gift card’s barcode number, visible through the window on the back of the gift card’s packaging, matches the number on the packaging itself,” police said.
Officers also recommend grabbing a gift card from the middle or back of the rack since they are less likely to have been tampered with.
“Criminals will likely go for the front cards because they can commit the crime more quickly,” officials said.
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