I’m so sick and tired of these damn scam artists. One of them somehow got into my account and stole money from me. Luckily my bank alerted and compensated me. I’m so sick of them all.
@@ggeorge4144 No! The constitution was written in opposition of tyranny, granting inalienable rights, and protecting its citizens (which include the innocent). However people like you want to tear down and eliminate the constitution under a facade of lies. Your first sentence states what the majority of people already know but then attack the constitution. The constitution isn't the problem, following the constitution, following the laws, and enforcing both ARE the issues.
Sue target It's their fault because the security people who watch the cameras are usually goofing off or staring at women. Because of their neglect you got your hard earned money stolen. Staring a class action suit
@@winning3329 Exactly, this dude's criminal ring is just taking the Gift Cards and then return to put them back tampered 😳🤯 Target needs to DESTROY ALL OF THEIR EXISTING GIFT CARDS AND PROCESS A NEW BATCH THAT NEED TO BE LOCKED UP.
I've never understood gift cards. Unless you're giving it to a crack addict who you're afraid might spend the cash on drugs. But addicts are very resourceful and will probably find a way to sell it for drugs anyways. So with a gift card you're just being controlling and oppressive for no reason. Cash is always better.
Its not just target. Last week a lady purchased 3 gift cards totaling a thousand dollars at walmart and when she went to check the cards balance before she gave them out, the money was gone. It's everywhere.
True I have bought 2 payed 150 each and when I tried using them it had nothing in it both times I call customer service they kept giving me attitude each time I called n when I called Walgreens they say we can't do anything about it...bc its not their problem once u buy it
@@Salem_Wolf1107I just watched a news clip of a woman who bought a thousand dollars worth. She lost $800 from Walmart gift cards and Walmart won’t take accountability.
Do not believe this story. Why would this dude walk into Target and openly start switching cards right at the Gift card stands especially during the holiday when knowing that stores and authorities are on to them. Remember, the media is used to lie and manipulate the viewer. This story is to tell the people that "Hey everyone, we're doing our job running sting operations to crack down on this holiday scam so that you can feel safe spending your money on store gift cards."
This isn't a new scam. My son brought his father and I a target gift card last Christmas when we tried to use them we were told we had a zero balance. I called corporate and they said it was nothing they could do. We haven't brought gift cards from target since.
Definitely not a new scam. It’s been going on with multiple brands for years. It’s the most annoying thing so I’m glad authorities are looking into it.
@@b.b.s7545 Good answer, I worked for target many years ago. The one thing Target has better than any retail company was/is their surveillance system. When I tell you those cameras can read your credit card number off your card as you pull the card out of wallet. That was over 20 years ago, so I know the cameras are much better now. If the AP team wanted to, they could zoom-in and track every move, the major flaw is they are still human operated. So, your answer fits the narrative. Target should be ashamed of themselves.
Target doesn't want news cameras in their stores. By allowing the cameras in the store to report the news, they are acknowledging the crime(s), and are now obligated to reimburse customers.
I bought a $500 gift card for Home Depot. By the time I opened it to use it it had $15 left on it. I was pissed. Lucky for me the guy used it for online purchases and they were able to get his name and everything he bought on it. The store even refunded me my $500.
Let’s just normalize gifting cold hard cash so people can spend it wherever they want. All I want for Christmas is groceries and I’m sure I don’t want to shop at target for that.
2 years? 2 fucken years? You’re to soft, you’re the reason these people do what they do. You’ll probably only want 3 years on someone with murder charges because he “might change.”
The gift cards need to be removed from public access until the packaging is replaced with tamperproof packaging. In the meantime, the only option is to pass.
Several retailers now have what is called an e-gift card you purchase online, and is electronically sent to the recipient's e-mail. I've purchased some from Macy's this way, and there is no plastic card on display in some store that people you don't know have their hands on.
Good for this police dept. for stepping up and trying to combat this issue. I’ve not seen much concern from most police depts. around the country because of it being so hard to track.
Target still needs to be responsible for paying these people back. They weren’t controlling the cards, who had access to them . And they were the ones selling them and are ultimately responsible for. I’m sure the same thing has been happening to Walmart.
It is sad that nothing is safe anymore. I am on hard times but I would never stoop to stealing from others. I remember when my .Amazon account got hacked and someone spent over $400. Of my money and this was right after my husband died of cancer. I never got my money back and I just couldn’t believe how low people can go to steal from others it is sickening.
Your amazon account was "hacked" probably in one or a few ways. You used the same password for everything (judging from your username, you are older and probably did). Not judging, just this happened to a coworker, who is 80+ and he couldn't understand how something like that could happen. It sucks, but truth is e-fraud/crimes aren't really saught after as they fall under FBI, not local police, and FBI doesn't have time for "small cases" like this. While you may say "you can't believe how low ppl can go", the 12 year old from Africa who stole your money, now has enough to feed his extended family and buy a car, probably thought "I cannot believe this lady has all her passwords her husbands name, without 2 factor authentication". Not to victim blame, but I kinda agree (like 5%) there are a lot of features on amazon ppl don't use that would stop this. It's mind-numbing how many ppl I tell them there's "literally nothing I can do to help them get their stuff back, but all of this could have been prevented if you just followed the alert/notification to do so"
Criminality isn’t something that desperate people resort to just because they are desperate. The rich and the poor can possess morals, and can also be devoid of morals. That determines how you’ll act.
Something is not right...I've been scammed of Target gift card twice now. I've always bought the gift cards from the cashiers. Not at the gift card isle. Must be an inside job as well
Maybe stores would take better precautions if they were responsible for scammed gift cards. Keep them behind lock and key like they do tobacco. Thieves really need harsher penalties and restitution. Scammers are out of control.
So we don't get to see his face? But they show crime that's way less than $3-Millon dollars. Face all on TV as if they robbed a 1000 banks nope just clothes.
Lazy folks shop online chose not to use debt/credit card. But also sometimes for other gift cards like game cards and stuff... that's like Gaming Addicts..(including Google play cards) its somehow a way people think they saving money but they are really not 😂😂
Targets will sometimes sell the gift card with a 5% discount on the amount you pay for them. I was going to get a few for Xmas, it’s going to be cash from now on.
Could this be the reason the gift card a customer gave me had a zero balance? I just assumed he gave me the wrong card and I didn’t tell him about the zero balance.
Yes, my friend Pam, who works at WAL-MART, said that many people are embarrassed to tell the gifter that the card has 0 balance. So the blatant theft is never reported or investigated. God forgive them!
This has been going on for a while! Not just this year. Especially at Target 🎯. One group walks out with the gift cards, another separate group enters store and re- hangs gift card on pegs. Customers then purchase the tampered gift card thinking the cash is loaded to the card, but nope, a fraudulent bar code is replaced and that cash is going to unknown bank accounts, possible outside of U.S.. Retail treats cards like cash in respect to property so once you leave store with it, its all on you not them! And Retail is not doing anything about it because they made their money in advance. And its getting difficult to identify if the package has been tampered with. Cards should be sold from behind counter only, and inside locking cases to help eliminate folks walking out with them before they get scanned for actual legit purchases. Customers should demand retail stores take more responsibility for sales with these cards only behind Guest services desk or inside of individual locked cases. Thousands-Millions are being ripped off. Crazy its just now making the news. 💯. Its Organized retail electriconic theft. At your own risk, buyer beware.
I agree with karl. Gift card is sorta a scam in itself by the seller. You trade cash for a fund that has restrictions, blackout dates, can't use on certain items, expiration dates, blah blah blah. Just give cash to the person instead of gift cards, so they could spend how they want it, instead of going to a particular store or seller.
i didnt know they were changing the bar codes and it still loaded the caard amazing some are just capturing the same codes and then packing them back and stealing pin if they need to in some cases the purchase can be racked and its in the usa and drained that way
I work for a delivery company and ive seen people many times swapping the cards out. Always check the back of the card before purchasing. This is getting out of hand
I’m sorry, Target has been hindering law enforcement for years and refusing to prosecute felony crimes. Target refused to let law enforcement arrest felony suspects inside of their stores. I have no love for Target, hope they lose money and over fist. Stopped going to Target years ago.
What? Target has some of the strictest loss-prevention out of any major retailer. They hire undercover security guards who will straight up tackle and detain anyone who attempts to walk out. And you can find countless videos of people being arrested inside target for various reasons. I have no idea where you're getting your info from.
@@jazzfeline5970 if that's the case, why are there videos on RU-vid with the police saying specifically that Target wouldn't permit the police to enter Target stores because of the fear Target management had about the attention and publicity it might create. Walmart will arrest people publicly, Target will not.
In short do not buy gift cards. This happened to guy at my walmart. He said before he even left walmart each 250.00 dollar gift card had ready been drained. He was an elderly man and I feel bad for him. Walmart wouldn't do anything even though he never left the store like he just bought them 😢😮
Then he should have filed a police report at the time and taken Walmart to small claims court. I think a judge would have been sympathetic, especially if he had documented it when it had happened.
Then they let him bond out using said gift cards. All retailers should cover the thefts. It's their carelessness that contributed to this. I've heard of this for a long time and am stunned the cards are still out in the open. They sure protect things like shaving razors so why not gift cards.
1:56. Gift cards are actually *quite expensive.* But they are easy/convenient. Not only do you pay the $$, but an extra expense is charged by the vendor to enable the card. Give actual cash instead. And it’s more versatile.
This is crazy... Then every story I see where shoppers can't get their money back off the gift cards is even crazier. Like y'all really not refunding people for something that was no fault of their own? I see two scammers here, the gift card thieves and the cash thieves. Don't want to refund, then make it harder for this to happen in the first place.
lol speaking of Asian acting suspiciously. I frequent a laundromat owned by an Asian with Asian attendants in the Bronx and I usually i buy detergent from their shelves if I run out. For months now I noticed the tide detergent was thicker than the average free flowing texture I’m used to seeing . I thought maybe tide got a new product or something. One random day I was in the car and I noticed the attendant looking around suspiciously . I look down he had placed an empty tide bottle by a barrel and was refilling it . Come to find out he’s been refilling from a barrel with their own manufactured tide the whole time and selling it back to the public . Wow
Yet when someone of your race commits crime, you don't go trying to remember instances of when someone of your race committed a crime so you can lump them all together, because you can actually see people of your race as varying individuals. Too bad all Asians are the same to you.
this doesn't even make any sense.... are you returning empty bottles for him to refill? they can't refill bottles with their own homemade tide concoction if they don't have bottles... why would they buy bottles and make their own tide? retailers aren't losing any money if they sell tide from the company to the consumer for a profit. your story literally... makes ZERO sense.
Another scam was people selling 5 gallons bucket of tide or gain online or back of their car. They look legit but are fake. Who knows what cheap stuff it was made from.
We lost like $200 worth of gift cards from our baby shower because of these fraudulent activities. It really really sucks. I'm glad they're cracking down.
Bought an apple gift card for someone, and the card had been swapped out. So the card tied to the package got the money, and the one I bought remained empty. Pretty common nationwide these days.
Do not buy any gift cards. None of the stores provide any security measures for these gift cards and many will leave with paying for nothing as the card has already been scammed! The stores are out of nothing and they could care less if you lose your money. Please only give gifts to family and friends in cash!
I’m sick of this scammers… I’m a victim too. This person used my wedding gift card and I’m just finding out this is what actually happened.. it made no sense bc I’ve never been in California before plus I know the gift card was new smh
These thieves should get serious jail time. This kind of crimes make consumer stopping shopping at the store because of PTSD. GOOD LUCK GETTING YOUR MONEY BACK.
"These cards need to be locked up where this thing can't happen!" Also police.. "Target isn't out any money in this scam." I think we see why it's happening..
Buy money cards at the dollar tree and put money in them to give out at Christmas time. My mother did this, thus no money stollen. When you buy gift cards you are aiding the criminals. Share this video all across America. People need to know.
Don't waste money on gift cards. Let your giftees choose where to shop and give cash. Gift card is like is buying less valuable money with better money. Its guilt giving.
Before long the grocery store is going to look a lot different. The store is going to be a line of people waiting at a desk asking if what they’re looking for is in stock. No shelves. No picking your own stuff out. That’s gonna be gone in a matter of a few years at this pace.
Target must be held responsible They leave them uncontrolled out in the open not monitored Yet another reason to not shop at Target Target is absolutely horrible
This is just not a Target problem. It’s happening at any store that sells gift cards. Also, this gift card scam has been going on for years. This is nothing new.
They need to lock these cards up , taken out only by store personnel and taken directly to the register to be bought . No contact with card until it is purchased !
They need to start treating gift cards the same way that they USED to treat merchandise in general: keep ALL gift cards inside a high-security kiosk, one that customers are NOT allowed to enter. Instead, such a kiosk would have at least one shop front that comes in the form of a cashier window with bars in it. The customer comes up to a window, pays the cashier however much money they wish to load onto a gift card, and then that cashier takes the desired gift card from within the kiosk, loads that gift card, and passes it to the customer through the cashier window. In the old days, ALL stores were like that. Each store had barred cashier windows, as well as professional shoppers who did the shopping for the customers. The customers themselves NEVER entered the stores.
no one is paying attention like they should be. And it should not be hard to find a way to stop this type of crime. Why do gift cards have 'stickies' on them at all? Why don't they have the code embedded in the card, and why don't the cards have other codes embedded so a fraudulent fake card would be easily identified when brought for activation?
There was a recent video news story of a Church group that was burned by this Target scam - they had bought gift cards to give to poor families for Christmas, but found out there were no funds on the cards (had been drained). They eventually noticed that the gift card details on the receipt didnt match the details on the actual gift cards. Target told them there was nothing they could do. I hope this helps them recover the losses.
This is crazy! Somebody has purchased gift cards for Christmas and probably don’t know they’ve been scammed. I usually buy digital gift cards for my birthday every year from target when they are on sale. Even though it’s digital, I want be buying anymore. Some thief will come up with a way to take that too. I usually just give cash for Christmas since everybody comes home.