Scammers are getting pre-paid Visa cards and other types of gift cards in stores and then going to the self-checkout machines and entering their card and the amount of money they want to load on to the card, but then leave without completing or closing out the transaction.  The next customer who uses the self-checkout machine then rings up their purchases, often without noticing that the cost of the debit card or gift card has been added to the bill of the legitimate customer who ends up paying to load the scammer’s card.

TIPS

Fortunately, this scam is easy to avoid, but requires an extra level of diligence that many people would not have thought necessary.  When you use a self-checkout machine, first make sure that the previous transaction has been closed.  In addition, you should also check your receipt and if you find a charge for something you did not purchase, take the receipt immediately to customer service for a refund.

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