MEDINA, Ohio — A senior citizen from Medina lost hundreds of dollars buying bad gift cards. Her family felt bad and needed help, so they reached out to the News 5 Investigators.
"She feels duped," said Allen Jones about his 78-year-old mother, Elaine Jones.
Allen told us that Elaine knows how much he and his wife, Nancy, use DoorDash, as they live in New York City. So, Elaine went to a CVS store in Medina and bought $600 worth of gift cards for him. However, there was a problem when he got them in the mail.
A PROBLEM WITH THE CARDS
“When we looked at the cards, the cards had actually had the codes scratched off,” said Allen. The cards were already drained.
Allen said he called CVS for help, and the customer service rep said something he didn’t expect.
"This had been attempted before using these particular codes or using these particular numbers," said Allen about his conversation with customer service.
Allen told us CVS suggested he call DoorDash.
"DoorDash had said yes, we know about these cards. We know about these particular numbers," Allen said.
Nancy said Elaine felt terrible about the bad cards.
"She was upset, too. And almost like when we talked to her on the phone, there was like this silence, like realizing what had happened," Nancy said.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Ericka Dilworth, VP of Operations at Cleveland’s Better Business Bureau, said, in general, watch out for packaging that may have been shifted or that has actual scratches on the code areas. “If the numbers are exposed in any way, that really is the red flag that says somebody’s tried to use this, maybe somebody has used it,” said Dilworth.
She told us that card manufacturers are now making it harder to access those codes through new packaging, but if you end up getting scammed, jump into action.
"There have been some situations where they’ve been able to reverse some things," said Dilworth. "So, you have to be really, very quick when you identify that there’s a problem."
If this happens to you, make sure to report it to the police and consumer complaint sites like the BBB’s ScamTracker.
THE RESPONSE
Both CVS and DoorDash told us they are investigating. CVS said, in part, card "scams are a challenge to all retailers," that it’s taking "steps to protect these (cards)" and it warns customers through (its) point-of-sale system. [Read full statement below]. CVS also said it will issue Elaine a refund for the used gift cards.
The Jones family said it wanted to warn you so you can protect your purchases.
"To be aware that if anybody’s scratching off on these cards or whatever, they’re taking your money,” said Allen.
"You hear a lot about these scams going on, but when it happens to you, you’re like thrown in all different directions," said Nancy.
This story came to us because of a tip. If you have something you’d like the News 5 Investigators to look into, email: InvestigatorTips@WEWS.com or call our tip line at 216-431-4357.
CVS Statement:
"We’re working to investigate the matter. In the meantime, our Customer Care team will reach out to the customer directly to issue a refund. Gift card and prepaid card scams are a challenge to all retailers. To help combat this activity, we partner with local law enforcement agencies and regularly alert our store teams about gift card scams that have surfaced in their community. We take several steps to protect these products in-store, such as placing gift card racks in high-traffic areas in most stores, and educate colleagues and consumers about fraud risks. We recommend our employees check their gift card racks daily for tampered cards and educate and empower them to recognize and report suspicious activities. In addition, we have signage on our gift card racks warning customers about potential gift card scams and warn customers through our point-of-sale system. Customers who purchase a gift card at CVS Pharmacy must read and acknowledge a prompt on our payment terminal about various types of gift card scams to proceed with the purchase.”
