The United States Postal Service has recently uncovered a new gift card scam involving gift cards.  Advertisements in legitimate newspapers and websites have been appearing promising a $500 gas gift card in return for a payment of only $79.95.  Unfortunately, when the victim sends his money for the card, they do not receive the promised gift card, but do receive instructions on how to operate the very scam of which they just became a victim and get others to send money and get nothing in return.

TIPS

Anything that appears to good to be true usually is.   Even if an advertisement appears in a legitimate newspaper or website, that does not mean that the advertisement is legitimate or that the newspaper or website has made any attempt to confirm that the advertisement is legitimate.  Another easy way to identify a potential scam is to Google the name of the person or company along with the word “scam” and see what comes up.  You can also check with your local District Attorney or your state Attorney General if you have doubts as to whether a particular offer might be a scam, but ultimately you should always be skeptical of getting something for far less than it is worth.