A lot of companies use gift cards around the holidays to thank their employees, but it’s not much of a bonus if the gift cards they hand out are already empty. That happened to several companies this year, who, combined, bought hundreds of cards, demonstrating the ongoing and widespread problem of gift card fraud. That’s when thieves steal the balance on a card without it ever leaving your possession.When Hollywood takes a film or TV production on the road, many times, Ron Finnerman’s small business, Rock Bottom Rentals, is along for the ride. He and his 30 employees provide communication gear. It’s a career Finnerman has a passion for, and he also enjoys handing his employees $100 American Express gift cards at the end of every year.”We give out about 50 to 100 cards a year,” Finnerman said. “In addition to giving them to the employees, we also give these cards to our vendors.”But this past holiday season, Finnerman said his joy of giving turned into embarrassment. At least ten of the gift cards he handed out had their balances largely or entirely wiped clean — the money stolen — before the recipient could even use them. It was a hit of $975, which Finnerman replaced with cash.”People called me and said, ‘Ron! There’s 40 cents on this card!'” Finnerman said. The compromised cards “were in an envelope that was closed, sealed.”Finnerman’s not alone. Two other companies also contacted sister station WCVB with the same problem. A Massachusetts oil company said 60 of 150 gift cards purchased were empty, a loss of $3,000, and a major utility also reached out, saying they were dealing with “multiple” empty cards.The complaints raise ongoing questions about the security of prepaid gift cards, which often come with familiar and trusted brand names: American Express, Visa and Mastercard. Gift cards from all of those brands are distributed by the same little-known company: InComm Payments. Several consumers came to WCVB last fall after their gift cards, worth hundreds of dollars apiece, were drained despite the cards never leaving their hands or still being sealed in the original packaging. While they’re in the package, the card numbers and security codes are hidden. The consumers, which included a man trying to use his Vanilla Visa gift card to pay funeral expenses after the unexpected loss of his four-year-old son, described an arduous and endless process in an attempt to get reimbursement: a maze of paperwork, hours spent on hold and emails that bounced back. None got their money back until NewsCenter 5 got involved. Since the American Express name is on his gift cards, Finnerman initially went there for help (he’s also a 40-year American Express credit card customer). Beyond the $975 stolen, he’s sitting on 27 more $100 Amex gift cards that still have value, and he wants to return them but says he couldn’t believe what American Express — a company known for excellent customer service — told him. “‘We will not be refunding you the money. We are not going to be responsible,'” he said they told him. “I’m shocked! This is American Express.”He says there’s only one solution for him: no more prepaid gift cards.American Express and InComm responded to NewsCenter 5’s inquiry about this with a joint statement saying they take these concerns seriously and are constantly working to develop new techniques to mitigate fraud. The companies would not answer questions about how they believe this fraud occurs. They did encourage gift card customers to closely inspect a card’s packaging before it’s purchased, looking for slits in the seams, glue residue or color distortion.American Express and InComm say they’ll work with Finnerman on a solution. He did hear from them but says there’s been no resolution yet.
A lot of companies use gift cards around the holidays to thank their employees, but it’s not much of a bonus if the gift cards they hand out are already empty. That happened to several companies this year, who, combined, bought hundreds of cards, demonstrating the ongoing and widespread problem of gift card fraud. That’s when thieves steal the balance on a card without it ever leaving your possession.
When Hollywood takes a film or TV production on the road, many times, Ron Finnerman’s small business, Rock Bottom Rentals, is along for the ride. He and his 30 employees provide communication gear. It’s a career Finnerman has a passion for, and he also enjoys handing his employees $100 American Express gift cards at the end of every year.
“We give out about 50 to 100 cards a year,” Finnerman said. “In addition to giving them to the employees, we also give these cards to our vendors.”
But this past holiday season, Finnerman said his joy of giving turned into embarrassment. At least ten of the gift cards he handed out had their balances largely or entirely wiped clean — the money stolen — before the recipient could even use them. It was a hit of $975, which Finnerman replaced with cash.
“People called me and said, ‘Ron! There’s 40 cents on this card!'” Finnerman said. The compromised cards “were in an envelope that was closed, sealed.”
Finnerman’s not alone. Two other companies also contacted sister station WCVB with the same problem. A Massachusetts oil company said 60 of 150 gift cards purchased were empty, a loss of $3,000, and a major utility also reached out, saying they were dealing with “multiple” empty cards.
The complaints raise ongoing questions about the security of prepaid gift cards, which often come with familiar and trusted brand names: American Express, Visa and Mastercard. Gift cards from all of those brands are distributed by the same little-known company: InComm Payments.
Several consumers came to WCVB last fall after their gift cards, worth hundreds of dollars apiece, were drained despite the cards never leaving their hands or still being sealed in the original packaging. While they’re in the package, the card numbers and security codes are hidden. The consumers, which included a man trying to use his Vanilla Visa gift card to pay funeral expenses after the unexpected loss of his four-year-old son, described an arduous and endless process in an attempt to get reimbursement: a maze of paperwork, hours spent on hold and emails that bounced back. None got their money back until NewsCenter 5 got involved.
Since the American Express name is on his gift cards, Finnerman initially went there for help (he’s also a 40-year American Express credit card customer). Beyond the $975 stolen, he’s sitting on 27 more $100 Amex gift cards that still have value, and he wants to return them but says he couldn’t believe what American Express — a company known for excellent customer service — told him.
“‘We will not be refunding you the money. We are not going to be responsible,'” he said they told him. “I’m shocked! This is American Express.”
He says there’s only one solution for him: no more prepaid gift cards.
American Express and InComm responded to NewsCenter 5’s inquiry about this with a joint statement saying they take these concerns seriously and are constantly working to develop new techniques to mitigate fraud. The companies would not answer questions about how they believe this fraud occurs. They did encourage gift card customers to closely inspect a card’s packaging before it’s purchased, looking for slits in the seams, glue residue or color distortion.
American Express and InComm say they’ll work with Finnerman on a solution. He did hear from them but says there’s been no resolution yet.
