How Can I Tell If a Gift Card Has Been Tampered With?

What this helps with: Checking a gift card in the store before you buy it, and knowing what to do if the money on it is gone.

Gift cards are a popular holiday gift. Some thieves mess with the cards on the store rack. They copy the card number and PIN, or they hide the real barcode. Then they wait for you to buy the card and put money on it. The money goes to them, not to the person you gave the card to. A quick look before you buy can help.

What a tampered card can look like

• The PIN is showing. The strip that covers the PIN on the back is scratched, peeled, wrinkled, or missing.
• The package is torn or opened. Look for rips, wrinkles, bends, or a pack that looks opened and sealed again.
• There’s a sticker on the barcode. A thief can put a fake barcode sticker on top of the real one. Then your money goes onto the thief’s card.
• The numbers don’t match. On many packs, you can see the card’s barcode number through a small window. It should match the number printed on the pack.
• The card number is easy to see. If you can read the number and PIN in the store, so could someone else.

A card can look fine and still be unsafe. That’s why the steps after you buy matter too.

Before you buy: what to do

1. Pick a card from the back of the rack. Don’t take the first card in front. The FBI says to try one from the middle or the back.
2. Look at both sides. Check the PIN strip, the pack, and the barcode.
   • What you’ll do: Run your finger over the barcode on the back. A sticker on top can feel raised.
3. See a problem? Take a different card. Show the bad card to a cashier or manager. Thieves sometimes mess with a whole batch of cards, so you may want to shop at a different store.
4. Watch the screen at checkout. Ask the cashier to scan the card in front of you. Make sure the amount on the screen is right.
5. Keep your receipt. Take a picture of the card and the receipt with your phone. You’ll need them if something goes wrong.
6. Pay with a credit card if you can. The FTC says a credit card gives you the most protection if there’s a problem.

Other safe ways to buy: Some stores keep gift cards behind the counter or in a locked case. You can also buy a gift card online, right from the brand’s own website. Type the address yourself. Don’t buy gift cards from online auction sites. They may be fake or stolen.

After you buy

1. Check the balance on the brand’s real website, or at the store. Type the website address yourself. Don’t use a “free balance check” site you found by searching. Some of those sites steal the money.
2. Register the card if the brand lets you. This can help you report a problem sooner.
3. Use the card soon. The longer a card sits, the more time a thief has to drain it. Tell the person you give it to the same thing.
4. Treat it like cash. Keep the card and receipt somewhere safe.

If the money is gone

• Call the card company right away. Use the phone number on the back of the card, or find it on the brand’s real website. Tell them the card was drained. Ask for your money back. The sooner you report, the better.
• Have your receipt and card ready. The numbers on them help the company look into it.
• Tell the store where you bought the card.
• Paid with a credit card? Call the number on the back of your credit card. Ask if they can help get your money back.
• Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps stop thieves.
• Someone offers to get your money back for a fee? That is usually a second scam. Don’t pay.
• It’s not your fault. Some tampered cards look perfect.

Never pay anyone with a gift card

Anyone who tells you to pay them with a gift card is a scammer, so don’t buy the card and don’t share the numbers.

Want more ways to stay safe while you shop? See our guides to spotting a scam, fake shopping websites, and package delivery text scams.

Official sources

• FTC: Check out gift cards before you buy them
• FTC: Avoiding and reporting gift card scams
• FBI: Protecting yourself from fake barcodes on gift cards
• BBB: What to know before purchasing a gift card
• Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia: Gift card scams alert
• Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division: Gift cards
• FTC: Report fraud

Last checked: Oct 20, 2026

This is general help, not personalized tech support, and not legal or financial advice. It covers gift cards bought in the U.S. If you think you’ve lost money, contact the card company and the official sources above.