NEW BRITAIN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Authorities in Bucks County say they are investigating a new take on an old scam.
New Britain Township police say it's called “card draining.” Thieves pull gift card data while the cards are still on the shelves — deftly peeling the packaging just enough to get the cards and personal identification numbers (PIN) before putting it back on the rack.
Then when someone purchases the cards, activating them, the thieves use the available balances before the buyers or recipients are able to do so.
Investigations are underway involving two cases stemming from the Giant supermarket in New Britain, where more than 100 Visa Vanilla and Apple gift cards. According to police, those cards need little tampering to reveal the PINs.
Police say there have been reports of similar card draining across Bucks and Montgomery counties throughout November.
They advise buyers this holiday season to look closely at the packaging before buying that gift card.