I purchased a gift card from the Kroger by me and within two days, all the funds had been spent, save for a few dollars. How did the culprit obtain the info as well as the PIN that I set? It was one of the gift cards that’s allegedly safe because the barcode is hidden, but clearly that’s untrue.
Edit: it wasn’t an exposed gift card, I had to tear it away from a perforated envelope of cardboard and then scan it myself through self-checkout. It was one of them that is enclosed in cardboard packaging to prevent any numbers from being exposed.
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Gift cards look like they act like credit cards but they don’t at all. Much more insecure. PCI PA-DSS rules don’t apply to gift cards unless they are Master Card/Visa/Discover/Amex/JCB/Diners Club. This means that they do not need to be as secure.
Example: Full card number printed on the receipt. Not allowed if PCI, non-PCI no one cares.
Credit Cards are insecure enough and that’s with a lot of security measures. Without PCI DSS rules that must be followed, it’s easy for vendors to be lax about gift cards. Even big companies get sloppy about gift cards without the fear of fines that can run many millions of dollars.
Fortunately, Credit Cards are insured and the issuer will give you the money back if you dispute it. Gift cards are not insured so you’re SOL if they are stolen.
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