Home Depot/Lowes scammers

[chrislehr]

If you get approached by anyone in the store trying to sell gift cards (e.g., $125 on the card, ill let it go for $100) keep walking, and alert a store rep.

The scam running is one of a few:
- The card was snagged at the register and has not been activated
- The card was used to return stolen merch, that once uncovered, HD may invalidate the funds.

If you feel like running the risk, say SURE and then walk him to the returns desk so you can check the balance on the card.

 

[Bolster]

Good to know!

 

[bchee]

how much of the battle is attributed to "knowing"?

 

[volvo420coupe]

50% to be exact.

 

[gatewaysysop]

I honestly cannot imagine who would be foolish enough to fall for that. Then again, I don't get most people.

 

[35mastr]

Those cards are floating around on CL all the time.

 

[jake00]

http://www.myteespot.com/images/Images_d/d_7272.jpg

 

[mechamunch]

50% to be exact.

Yes, but violence is the other 50%. Also known as the "good" or "interesting" half.

 

[chrislehr]

I honestly cannot imagine who would be foolish enough to fall for that. Then again, I don't get most people.

Yea, me either.. I was well aware of the scam from friends who were very stupid.

 

[Danglerb]

Checking the balance does no good unless its just a unactivated card. The scam as I understand it is they use stolen credit cards to make purchases, then items get returned without a receipt for credit on a gift card, and the gift card gets sold.

Even if you buy something with the card you are not off the hook once the stolen card is detected the whole thing unravels and you are left holding the bill.

 

[expatriated]

Checking the balance does no good unless its just a unactivated card. The scam as I understand it is they use stolen credit cards to make purchases, then items get returned without a receipt for credit on a gift card, and the gift card gets sold.

Even if you buy something with the card you are not off the hook once the stolen card is detected the whole thing unravels and you are left holding the bill.

I don't fully understand this. For example, if someone buys a wrench with a stolen credit card and then later returns that wrench without a receipt, how does the store associate THAT specific individual wrench with the stolen credit card? Especially since there is no receipt. The receipt seems as if it would be the only thing linking the wrench with the stolen credit card, right? Wrenches don't have VINs. Even if you buy something with a serial number, that number isn't recorded at checkout, is it? The store is just scanning the UPC code that appears to be the same for every item of a particular model?

So, if stolen merchandise is returned without a receipt and a gift card is obtained for credit, what can possibly link the gift card to the stolen credit card?

I'm not saying these things aren't scams, I'm just trying to figure out how the scam works. Especially if the card is activated and has a balance on it.

 

[Givl Reggin]

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 18 or 19-year-old girls come over to you as you are loading up your goods. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say "No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Lowes, or Home Depot. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way there, they start ********** and making out with each other. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts putting her hands all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen July 5th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, three times just yesterday, and very likely again this upcoming weekend as soon as I can buy some more wallets.

 

[expatriated]

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 18 or 19-year-old girls come over to you as you are loading up your goods. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say "No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Lowes, or Home Depot. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way there, they start ********** and making out with each other. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts putting her hands all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen July 5th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, three times just yesterday, and very likely again this upcoming weekend as soon as I can buy some more wallets.

My solution is you stay home and pay me to do your shopping. Just give me some money and tell me where you shop

 

[35mastr]

I don't fully understand this. For example, if someone buys a wrench with a stolen credit card and then later returns that wrench without a receipt, how does the store associate THAT specific individual wrench with the stolen credit card? Especially since there is no receipt. The receipt seems as if it would be the only thing linking the wrench with the stolen credit card, right? Wrenches don't have VINs. Even if you buy something with a serial number, that number isn't recorded at checkout, is it? The store is just scanning the UPC code that appears to be the same for every item of a particular model?

So, if stolen merchandise is returned without a receipt and a gift card is obtained for credit, what can possibly link the gift card to the stolen credit card?

Absolutely nothing.

I'm not saying these things aren't scams, I'm just trying to figure out how the scam works. Especially if the card is activated and has a balance on it.

No ID is asked when redeeming gift cards.

Redeemed many without ever an issue.

 

[35mastr]

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 18 or 19-year-old girls come over to you as you are loading up your goods. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say "No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Lowes, or Home Depot. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way there, they start ********** and making out with each other. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts putting her hands all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen July 5th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, three times just yesterday, and very likely again this upcoming weekend as soon as I can buy some more wallets.

LMAO

 

[rsanter]

for the cost of a cheap empty wallet you can get at the swap meet, sounds like it would be worth it to me...

bob

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 18 or 19-year-old girls come over to you as you are loading up your goods. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say "No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Lowes, or Home Depot. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way there, they start ********** and making out with each other. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts putting her hands all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen July 5th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, three times just yesterday, and very likely again this upcoming weekend as soon as I can buy some more wallets.

 

[35mastr]

Checking the balance does no good unless its just a unactivated card. The scam as I understand it is they use stolen credit cards to make purchases, then items get returned without a receipt for credit on a gift card, and the gift card gets sold.

When checking the balance. it is either activated or not. Card has no link to anyone
Even if you buy something with the card you are not off the hook once the stolen card is detected the whole thing unravels and you are left holding the bill.

This is all fabricated with out any truth to it at all.
Unless you are providing you whole idenity to them when using this so called gift card. There is no link to the user at all.

No ID required to redeem gift cards.

 

[rsanter]

I think the danger here is if the card was purchased with a stolen credit card, they can track the sale back to that gift card.

do you really know anyone that has no use for a gift card?

bob

 

[ears]

A lot of drug addicts will steal and return then sell the cards cheap for cash. I have also known some who would get a credit card at a store and take orders for things cheap to be paid in cash.

 

[Lhorn]

Even if the cards can't be link to me, I'd still have no interest getting involved since it's just rewarding a thief. I had always assumed that those CL ads were a scam and that they just returned stolen merchandise for credit in the form of a gift card. I didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to buy a card without confirming in anyway that the card doesn't have a zero balance.
Jeeze, ya ever wonder if there are any decent honorable people left in this world?

 

[bosskong]

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 18 or 19-year-old girls come over to you as you are loading up your goods. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say "No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Lowes, or Home Depot. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way there, they start ********** and making out with each other. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts putting her hands all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen July 5th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, three times just yesterday, and very likely again this upcoming weekend as soon as I can buy some more wallets.

Awesome...

 

[Stuey]

To be honest, I'm sure that plenty of people would fall victim to these scams. I wouldn't underestimate the power of greed.

People do sell gift cards for other reasons. Often, credit card rewards will issue gift cards for certain stores at a much more favorable rate than for other stores. Other times, many stores are excluded. Other times, people just want to unload gift cards received as gifts.

These days, though, there are so many scams running that it's not worth the risk as either a buyer or seller.

Also, Home Depot, Lowes, and other stores take down your personal information when you return items without a receipt. If I recall correctly, the one time I returned things to HD without a receipt, they took down the info from my drivers license and might have even made a copy of it. I can only assume that this info enters a national or at least regional database for a certain amount of time. Or does it not?

 

[Chris Adams]

Of course there are LOTS of scams, and I am sure there are many ways people do rip you off selling you bad cards.
However, I have know a number of people legitimately selling gift cards.
Some got them as gifts from well meaning friends, some made huge returns without receipts and would rather have cash.
I have a 600 dollar gift card in my wallet today, I returned some shelving, lost the blasted receipt before I made it home... And American Express changed my card number about a day after I bought the shelving, so I couldn't just have them credit it, which is what they usually do.


So they issued me the card, which will take me about six months to redeem, unless I get some new project.
No, I don't want to sell it, tying up 600 bucks for months doesn't have any effect on my budget, but I can really see where it would some folks. And they would happily sell it for a discount.
Trick is, if the discount is more than about 10-20% you can bet it is a scam.

By the way American Express called and canceled my card because someone illegitimately used the number. They have a security department that apparently watches for certain uses, and flags the cards. Whomever used my number tripped their alarm.
So I get an E-mail from them, then a call. They quickly mailed me a new card, but it was inconvenient. Still, I appreciate them being so careful and catching this before the bill was even generated.

Givl Reggin, that is hilarious.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

around here the social services gives gift cards to welfare cases , in luieu of food stamps , that way they can buy beer ,wine , dog food and smokes on the taxpayer

 

[norry]

These are often scams - but actually not always.

Unwanted gifts or bought items with lost receipts, coupled with a suspicion you won't want anything from HD in future - why not sell the gift card? Someone once gave me something from Urban Outfitters, and I couldn't in a million years imagine shopping there. Returned it for credit and sold the credit for a small loss. *shrug*

 

[mechamunch]

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 18 or 19-year-old girls come over to you as you are loading up your goods. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say "No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Lowes, or Home Depot. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way there, they start ********** and making out with each other. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts putting her hands all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen July 5th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, three times just yesterday, and very likely again this upcoming weekend as soon as I can buy some more wallets.

If ONLY! Hot tip: Get vinyl wallets. Keep em empty.