Gift Card Scammers Targeting Abington Residents: Police

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — Police in Abington Township are warning residents of a gift card scam they have seen copping up in the region.

According to police, scammers are targeting gift card buyers at various stores.

The suspects steal empty gift cards from the racks at grocery stores, drug stores, and other retailers. They then carefully open the gift cards, record all relevant data into a sophisticated computer program, neatly reseal the gift cards, and return them to the shelves.

When customers purchase the cards and load money onto them, the scammers are notified and then deplete funds from the cards, police said.

Victims are left with gift cards with no value.

Police recommend only purchasing gift cards online, at a bank, or the original location where the gift card is tendered to, and only purchase them at retailers where the gift cards are not accessible to the public.