Gloria and Lewis Polin spent $1000 at CVS to purchase Nordstrom gift certificates and they gave them to their daughter.
Then she tried to buy something, but the cards weren’t worth anything.
Nordstrom and CVS both investigated the matter. Both CVS and Nordstrom were unwilling to take responsibility for the Laguna Woods couple who lost their cash.
Gloria, 68, said to me that someone had a thousand dollars but no trace.
The financial misadventure of the Polins highlights the dangers of prepaid cards. Although loading money onto plastic should be straightforward, it can become a complicated task.
Below are some holiday-season tips.
Gloria stated, “We thought that this would be a nice and simple way to gift our daughter something.” It’s not been easy.
Gloria Polin
The Polins spent hours calling Nordstrom and CVS last week and were eventually able to get the answers they needed.
Gloria stated that CVS had confirmed that the cards were activated, so it wasn’t their problem. “Nordstrom stated that they don’t have any record of the cards in their systems so it is not their problem.”
According to the consulting firm Mercator Advisory Group, more than $650 billion will be spent this year on gift cards and other prepaid card. This is 57% more than it was six years ago.
This rapid growth highlights how popular gift cards are. This is also why scammers find them so attractive.
I was able to share with the Polins their CVS receipt for the Nordstrom card transaction. It revealed that each of the 500-dollar cards had been activated at the Nordstrom store.
Lewis, 70, said, “We spent a thousand dollars and they were just worthless bits of plastic.”
The cards were given to the couple by their daughter, and they were then taken back to CVS. The store manager couldn’t figure out what was wrong and suggested that the Polins contact the executive office of the company.
Guess what? Guess what?
Lewis stated, “I have high blood pressure.” “This is not something that I want.”
Gift-card frauds are much more common than people think.
Scammers often use gift-card numbers to scan magnetic strips or write them down while they are still in store. This is a common scam. The scammer then checks online repeatedly to verify that the card is activated.
Once a card is live, the thief immediately uses it to make online purchases and have the goods delivered safely.
Recently, a more sophisticated scam was discovered. The scam involves a fraudster calling people to sell them unwanted gift cards. The thief calls the seller and asks them to confer with him.
The scammer is actually recording touchtones when the card number has been given. After that, the tones are used to calculate the number and then use it to make fraudulent purchases.
Nordstrom initially reacted to the Polins getting in touch with him by giving them the cold shoulder. However, things quickly changed after I became involved.
Emily Sterken, company spokesperson, emailed me Sunday evening to inform me that they believe the victims of fraud and are working hard to reimburse them. To investigate the matter, we are continuing to work with our third-party distributor.
She declined to give details about the fraud or name the firm responsible for activating the cards.
It seems that Nordstrom relied on CVS. Gloria claimed that a representative from CVS called her Monday to inform her that the $1,000 would be fully refunded.
I asked for more information from the drugstore chain, but no one responded.
Gloria stated that she and her husband were happy to see the mess over. They are still disappointed by the initial responses of the companies to their situation.
Gloria stated that it was disappointing. “You don’t need to contact a newspaper in order to find a company that can help you.”
I agree. Customers should be helped as a routine practice, and not as a public relations move.
These are some tips to help you avoid any hassles when buying holiday gift cards.
Gift cards should be kept in protective packaging with numbers hidden. Even then, make sure you look closely so that no scammers open the gift card and return it to you.
Be vigilant. Although most store staff are trustworthy, some may use handheld scanners to scan magnetic strip information or keep the activated card and give you a new one. To be sure, you can always ask the cashier for confirmation of the card’s value once it has been activated.
Be careful when you buy gift cards via online auctions. You might be wasting your money on plastic that appears to be cheap.
Also, it’s a good idea to use your gift card as soon as you can. It’s just as good as money once it’s activated. It shouldn’t be left in a drawer.
