#giftcardscam

[usnewsper-business]

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A warning has been issued to consumers about a gift card scam that is affecting major retailers across the country. The scam involves thieves draining the funds from gift cards by using a device that captures the card number and PIN. One victim reportedly had their gift card emptied of its $500 balance in seconds, […]

Beware of Gift Card Scam: Thieves Empty Cards at Major Stores! #giftcardscam #majorretailers

[digitalmel]

Oil Rig Scammer Be Like, YES!

Oil Rig Scam that is targeting women. Playing on your sympathy that they are being abused in various ways. It is all FAKE. They send out pre

[kayprism]

New #scam @target @walmart #giftcard #giftcardscam #targetgiftcard #walmartgiftcard #scam #emailscam I almost fell for it til I got same email from someone I don't know! Don't get got!! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl64UFcheNf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4bv2mcj72v0h

[martinibeerman]

What Goes Around... Stays Put

I’m not perfect.

There, I said it. I’m not. Though, I’m pretty sure that no two people’s view of “perfect” would align anyway..but even if they did, I’m not that. And I’m okay with that.

I am superstitious. On weird things, karma-esque things, the type of things that you cannot know will or will not happen, but you want to cover your a$$ anyway. And, I have an annoying voice in my ear willing me to do the ‘right’ thing and literally beating me up with anxiety if I even encroach on the the line of questionable.

So, what do you do? Do you live your life worrying about every action you do and the completely unassociated reaction that the universe might send your way for stepping out of line at all? Or do you just say “screw it” I’m going to live my life, I’ll make out with whomever I want, I’ll cut people off in traffic, talk crap about others behind their backs, steal parking spaces, “borrow” and not return things (none of these pertain specifically to me... except maybe the traffic one hahah.) Is sometimes straddling the ethical line devious or is it just plain survival of the fittest? And is there anything out there, with a big bulge of crap, just waiting to sling it your way if you choose to ‘do your own thing?’

Today, I could literally both kick and hug myself at the same time. I had a gift card- I returned an item that a loved one once gave me and felt pretty crappy about doing it. I then decided, the best thing for me to do would be to sell the gift card and get cash for it because I don’t want any of the items available to me at that store anyway..

So, I found Cardpool.com online, set up my transaction and mailed them my gift card. On the shipping, which they provide, are two barcodes. One of them had to be tracking right? WRONG. Nowhere on their email sent with complimentary shipping is anything stating that their shipping did not come with tracking... tracking makes sense when you are shipping a VERY pricey item, right? Silly me... I put my faith in someone else’s hands.

After two days waiting, having sent the item to California from California, I had heard nothing back. I reached out to customer service who said it could take 7 days to arrive... umm... hells no that’s not a real thing! It takes 1 day.  ONE. So, I started researching them on site jabber and the reviews are AWFUL. Granted, I can’t imagine how much business they must do on an ongoing basis, but just this month, someone reported having mailed them a card, sans tracking, and never hearing back from them. Now realizing that no tracking was provided I started to go into high panic mode. Sweating, freaking out and saying to myself - this is the “what comes around part, it has to be!” 

Then I realized, in many ways, I take care of myself. Prior to sending the card to them I took a picture of it. Not just the front, but all of the numbers necessary to purchase an item ONLINE. Being the bright little spark I had failed to be two days earlier, I opted to purchase an item of the exact same value of the card online and it is now being sent to my house. When I choose, I can go back to the store and get another gift card of the same value. I WON. i managed to thwart a potential crime before it happened (hug to me,) but was dumb enough to send a big gift card to a company without even researching them first (major kick in the pants to me too!)

So, phew. I saved me. I got me into something I felt guilty about and then bailed myself right out of it. Maybe just this feeling of complete terror is my ‘what comes around,’ or maybe, just maaaayyybe, it doesn’t even exist.

Here’s hoping!