Comments on: Gift Card Fraud & Scams Series – Part II

By: Lauren S

Lauren S — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:13:02 +0000

I can confirm what Kathy M & Murlin reported about not being able to insure gift cards. I just returned from the post office where I tried to insure a package that contained $500 worth of gift cards (there was nothing else in the package). I was told that I would have to send it registered mail and the cost was $16.95 ~ ouch! That seems like quite a hefty price to pay just to insure that the post office does it’s job of delivering my package to it’s proper destination without losing the contents along the way!

By: Murlin

Murlin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:15:36 +0000

My post office told me that you can’t really insure gift cards as well. They will not reimburse you for lost gift cards. The above poster’s $15.00 indemnity sounds correct.

By: Kathy M. in Florida

Kathy M. in Florida — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:35:16 +0000

A word of caution to those, who purchase postal insurance for their mailings containing gift cards: unless you also sent the letter or package Registered Mail,the Postal Service will only reimburse $15.00 for all gift cards.
It happened to me. A Priority Mail package sent to a friend in San Diego, Ca., containing Xmas presents and $100.00 worth of gift cards was “lost” or “misdelivered” by the mail carrier. The package was insured for $160.00 I was the mailer. My first insurance claim was denied. After an appeal, the claim was approved but for only $15.00 and the original cost of mailing the package. I submitted all original receipts for the items lost, including receipts for the purchase of the gift cards.
$15.00 is the full indemnity amount the Postal Service will pay for money, gift card and gift certificates, regardless of the amount you’ve insured the “lost” mail. If you hope to recoup the actual cost of such items, you must also send them by Registered Mail.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:22:41 +0000

I sent a $50 visa gift card in one of those music playing cards, so it was extra thick. I put 3 stamps on it just in case and the PO put a note on it that when it was recieved at the Tacoma PO it was open. So from my mail box to where they sort it, the robber opened the side of the card up and took the gift card. In the process of looking for my receipt. I thought gift cards were more secure than cash. I should have insured it. Next time I will send cash it’s less obvious!!

By: Moira G

Moira G — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:22:04 +0000

My mom just had the experience this year of having mailed 60 christmas cards at our local Salem, OR post office and having already 4 of 6 of the people she mailed them to complain that the post office delivered the empty envelope but with the card that was in it missing – the envelopes had been neatly sliced all around the diameter of the envelope with what seems like a nice, sharp knife or letter opener – there is no way this neat cut was made by a tear or something with their machinery – obviously since my mom mailed it the day before the thanksgiving holiday this year some opportunist postal worker thief decided to try and slit open the cards and see if there was gift cards or checks/money inside. So far out of the 6 people of the 60 that were sent that have reported back, four of them received empty envelopes, one had the envelope slit all the way around but the postal worker theif decided to be nice on that one and put the card back in and taped the two sides – weren’t they nice after cutting it open? – and one person got the card.
My mom is a senior whose income is limited and the stamps alone were not cheap for her to buy. I am livid at the USPS right now. The local station was blaming her for using ‘cheap’ Christmas cards that got ‘torn’ in the mail. The national USPS assigned her a case # and are due to report back to us. I am waiting to see what the heck they will say about it.
The other issue that happened – also, my mom has a ‘secure’ mailbox and Saturday the mail guy put a package key in her box and when she went to open the package box there was nothing inside, so now we are worried that he didn’t put the package in and it might have been something which a relative sent and that some other opportunist at USPS made off with as well. They also gave her the lame excuse on that one that the guy just mistook her box for the mail slot – well, her box is one row down from that so I fail to see how the guy could be so stupid as to mistake her box for that.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:57:11 +0000

Not all envelopes with missing cards are stolen. I’d imagine it is a miniscule amount in comparison to:
1. The amount of cards sent every year.
2. The number lost due to packaging.

Unsecured cards bouncing around in a envelope running through high speed sorters will eventually tear through the envelope on the edges. Later the local mail carrier tapes up ripped or partially closed envelopes.

I’m not saying that the cards MAY have been stolen, it’s just the vast majority probably ended up on the floor of the sorting facility with no way to match them back up with one of the thousands of letters sorting at the same moment.

The thing that most people should do is properly secure the gift card inside the envelope so it doesn’t move. Tape it down to the letter or greeting card or use a card carrier designed to mail ridged plastic cards.

By: DeDe

DeDe — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:14:49 +0000

My daughter opened a card from her Godfather and all that was there was the card and the envelope had been taped back up. There were 2 missing gift cards. One from the Gap the other Barnes and Noble. It had to be someone at the post office…the envelope was taped back up. We are in the process of having the cards re-issued, but they are probably used up. With the state of the economy I think this kind of behavior will only increase.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:00:11 +0000

Mockingbird Post office in South Austin: ripped off all but a few of our Christmas cards. Nobody in my family, from Kansas, Texas, Hawaii & Japan recievedd thier packages which were portraits of our children. I am certain that there was someone there looking for goodies for themselves. How elese could mail being directed to multi-state & international all be lost???? something stinks and it aint the fish

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:03:22 +0000

Just had $150.00 in 4 gift cards stolen via the U.S. Postal Service. Appears the local Boise, ID branch has a thief on their hands. It’s sad. Unfortunately we didn’t take necessary precautions.. just chalking it up to “people will be people”.

By: thief

thief — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:11:04 +0000

Well check this out, I have been stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars within the past year or so.
I have never exposed my secret to anyone before
But because its Christmas and im feeling extra generious
i have decided to let everyone in on my Scam…

Ok its like this…
Step 1 go to a department store that sells these
Visa gift cards/American express gift cards
Now your going to want to pick a place where
they would most likely sell them in higher
denominations (money wise)
ok grab a stack of $500
and some 100′s and what
not, and head on into the shitter.
Thats right take those puppy’s into the
bathroom with you, grab a stall and
relax. while your taking care of business
go ahead and copy each one of those $500
dollar card numbers down on a piece of
paper don’t forget the expiration date and
3 number code from back.

After you got your numbers copied down
go ahead and put those baby’s right back where
you got them, Make sure there right on top
screaming Take Me, Take Me…

Step 2 We wait, Try within a day or 2 buy
calling the 800 number and check to see if
its been activated, Because of the holidays
i haven’t had to wait more than 2-3 days
for a $500 dollar one to become active,
once activated, Buy whatever your little heart
desires, and the other person is clueless because
they have the card..
OWNED…..

ENJOY..