After KPRC 2 shared the story of a Houston woman who lost $800 when someone drained the Walmart gift cards she purchased as gifts, KPRC 2 viewers took to the internet to share their gift card horror stories.
Read on for their experiences.
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- “It’s pitiful. There’s a scam at every turn. I gave my son a Texas Roadhouse card for a gift. When they had their meal and went to pay with the card, the cashier said it wasn’t valid. The truth is, the male cashier pocketed the card himself and later got the value of it in cash from the register. I learned my lesson, no gift cards.” - Mary Anne Gunter
- “Her response from her Wal-Mart store doesn’t surprise me. I don’t think they care. Happened to me at a Kroger store. Bought a Little Caesars pizza gift card at Kroger. They refused to help me as well. When family went to use it, it had been hacked and used. Little Caesars pizza also didn’t care any more than Kroger and we were out $. One company loves to blame the other. I have never bought gift cards ever again. Never got my money replaced either.” - Valerie L
- “I bought a $20 Walmart gift card a few years back as a gift for someone, and when they went to use it, there was nothing left on the Gift Card, and my friend told me that the card was empty. I called the 1-800 number on the back and was on hold for a LONG time and the person who eventually took my call was speaking a different language, and I gave them all the information I had and they said they would investigate and call me back. I never received any information or a call-back. Thank you, GOD, it was only $20. These ladies got taken for $800. Disgusting.” - Mistyme Queen
- “This happened to me years ago. I had purchased a $100 gift card for my daughter to be mailed out at Xmas. It was never sent. Walmart refused to reimburse me. Don’t ever get gift cards from Walmart.” - Susan Addams
- " I got scammed by someone in Arkansas. I live in Tennessee. How on earth do these scam artists get away with this, especially this time of the year? Just so they can get their icing on the cake buying presents for themselves. It is appalling & sickening how these people get away from stealing from anyone. One day they will get caught & will get their hands slapped with nice pretty bracelets that have a lock & key to it.” - Rhonda Davis
- “It is so humiliating to attempt to check out with much needed groceries only to discover the gift card is rejected with a zero balance. When it happened to me, I felt as if the employee thought I was trying to scam her by emptying the card and attempting to reuse the card.” - Harry Burkett
- “This happened to my brother in law when my mom purchased a gift card. somehow they are able to get the numbers and steal the money before you can use the funds. IMO the cards should be locked up behind glass doors until they are purchased AT THE REGISTER. period.” - Kristina Sullivan
- “This happened to me last year after a gift card exchange at a Christmas party. It was a Visa, not a Walmart card. But when I tried to use it a couple of weeks after receipt, there was no money on it! I didn’t know who bought the card and didn’t know where it was purchased. Such a disappointment! I hope this woman gets her money back. She showed remarkable restraint in this interview! - Mary
- “This happened to me at Walmart near Christmas a few years back. I had bought gift cards for my nieces for Christmas and they were both empty. I felt so bad because, I didn’t save the receipt to even show that I did purchase them.” - Tammy Johnson
- “This happen to me in a CVS for an Amazon card for Mother’s Day. I bought it and my mom went to buy things and the card was already used. It’s disgusting how these scammers can get away with this.” - Brenda
- “I had the same experience with Walmart. My Mom bought me a Walmart Gift Card for $100. She mailed it to me, which took a couple days and when I received it and went to activate it, it was drained of about $98. My Mom went to the Walmart store and experienced what you experienced. I called the number on the card and they said I had spent the money. Neither place was helpful. My Mom said that the cashier was acting suspiciously and she thinks that maybe she used a skimmer.” - Susan
- “Almost this exact same thing happened to me about a year ago at an east Houston Walmart. I’d purchased a pre-loaded $50 Walmart gift card for a friend’s birthday gift. (It was one of the gift cards from the display rack that has the pre-loaded amount printed on the packaging or on the card itself.) I’d also purchased a birthday greeting card for her. My friend called me after trying to use the card at her nearby Walmart to tell me the gift card didn’t have any money on it so she wasn’t able to make a purchase. She was embarrassed and, of course, I was terribly embarrassed. I quickly went and purchased another gift card for her but this time I had the Walmart employee to load the card with $50 in front of me, then I drove almost an hour to my friend’s house to give her the new card and get the previous card back from her so I could return it for a refund (I’d kept the receipt). The Walmart store manager and security person gave me the same treatment as these two ladies got. First, they looked at the camera footage and saw when I’d purchased the gift card and greeting card. Then, they questioned whether my friend had already used the card or had gotten it mixed up with another Walmart gift card she may have already had in her wallet. I confirmed with my friend that neither was the case, but I couldn’t get any further help from Walmart after visiting the store to talk to those managers about 3 times. I contacted my credit card company, Chase, and sent them a copy of my receipt and a full explanation of what happened. Thankfully, after looking into the situation they credited me back the $50. Just like these ladies, I knew this was a big problem for Walmart - possibly inside theft - and they needed to do something about it. They should stop selling gift cards immediately until they can sell them in a way that protects their customers. I feel terrible for all of the people who will experience this problem this Christmas because Walmart clearly will not take any responsibility.” - @allthingsnu
- “It takes months for you to get the $ back. I purchased several cards for mother’s day & the same thing happened. Walmart will give you the run around in every way possible. You have to go through the fraud department the number is on the back of the card. I will never purchase another.” - Viki
- “Same thing happened to us!! Walmart never gave us the money back! A Church member gave us a card it was spent before we even got it in the mail. It was spent in another state before we got. We were told that the cards were probably skimmed and they wait for them to get activated then they use them!” - Meranda K
- “I had the same thing happen a couple of years back. The cashier was charged. She had done the same thing to a number of customers. It’s a terrible thing to happen. I had to replace all the cards for my children.” - CJ Anderson
MORE: Don’t fall for these holiday scams
The Federal Trade Commission shared this guidance on buying and using gift cards.
Whenever you buy gift cards:
- Stick to stores you know and trust. Avoid buying from online auction sites because the gift cards may be fake or stolen.
- Inspect the gift card before you buy it. Make sure the protective stickers are on the card and that it doesn’t look like someone tampered with them. Also check that the PIN number on the back isn’t showing. Pick a different gift card if you spot a problem and show the tampered card to a cashier or manager.
- Always keep a copy of the gift card and store receipt. Take a picture of the gift card and store receipt with your phone. The number on the gift card and store receipt will help you file a report with the gift card company if you lose the gift card or if you need to report fraud.