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gift card scam


CHICAGO-AREA MAN LOSES THOUSANDS IN GIFT CARD SCAM, FILES SUIT AGAINST TARGET


MICHAEL ALAN WINICOUR, OF LAKE BLUFF, FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST TARGET
CORPORATION, AFTER LOSING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO A GIFT CARD SCAM IN 2021

BY SANDRA TORRES • PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO • UPDATED 26 MINS AGO


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For Michael Alan Winicour, it’s tough to relive the details of what happened to
him last summer. It’s not pleasant for him to admit he fell victim to a scam, in
which he lost thousands of dollars.

“They just keep you thinking that I’m saving myself by doing this,” said
Winicour, referring to the scammers.

It’s a story that even his own son, Corey Blake Winicour, had trouble
understanding.

“I was like, 'What are you talking about? Why? You did what? How does this makes
any sense at all,'” said Winicour's son.

On June 5, 2021, Winicour, 76-years-old, received an email, which appeared to be
from the company Apple. The email, with the subject line “Your Apple iTunes
Subscription,” appeared to be a statement with an order confirmation. Believing
there was a problem, Winicour called the number listed on the e-mail. He now
realizes, making that phone call was a big mistake.

“They said they found bills that were charged to my Apple account and in order
to eliminate that issue, go get some gift cards at Target… you’ll read us the
numbers and we’ll grab the money and put it into your Apple account,” said
Winicour.

So he did.

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Within minutes, Winicour went to the nearest Target store in Lake Bluff in
Chicago’s far northwest suburbs. Within a two-and-a-half hour time span, he
spent over $7,000 in Target gift cards.

Winicour said the scammers stayed on the phone with him the entire time.
Receipts provided to NBC 5, show there were 10 visits to the same location and
five at the same register. Most of the visits were within 20 to 30 minutes
apart.

“They would bring him back to the parking lot where they convinced him to read
the numbers off the gift cards… again believing it was in his best interest and
then they would send him back in to purchase some more," said his son, Corey
Blake Winicour.

After all was set and done, Winicour lost a total of $8,497.48.

"I’m not destitute, but many people are and that’s what really really hurts and
it’s sad. It needs to come to an end," said Winicour.

“It’s very hard from the outside to make sense of how this happened to somebody
and yet it’s happening to tens of hundreds of thousands of people, “ said Corey
Blake Winicour.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, in the first nine months of 2021
alone, nearly 40,000 people reported $148 million stolen using gift cards. But
Steve Bernas with the Chicago Better Business Bureau says those cases are
underreported.

“Unfortunately, the scammers and getting better and better each and every day,”
said Bernas. “There’s not enough government police to protect consumers… this is
a worldwide problem, not just a U.S. problem or a Chicago problem.”

So what can you do to avoid becoming victim of this type of scam?

According to Bernas, the only way to put scams out of business is not to give
them your business in the first place. Adding, if anyone tells you to buy gift
cards and read back the numbers, don’t believe it. It’s a scam.

For Winicour, it’s been a difficult lesson, but also an eye-opening one. He has
since filed a lawsuit against Target Corporation, hoping for change.

“The stores need to commit to try and slow this down or stop it… they have the
ability,” said Winicour.

In response to our story, a spokeswoman for Target sent NBC 5 the following
statement:

“Unfortunately, gift card scams are a persistent issue across the retail
industry. Target takes these crimes extremely seriously and we use a
multi-layered, comprehensive approach to mitigate fraud that includes
technology, team member training and collaboration with law enforcement. We also
work with a number of outside partners like the National Cyber Forensics
Training Alliance, which brings more than 70 retailers together to track,
prevent and address these types of crimes. We’ve increased in-store signage to
warn our guests of common gift card scams, and we’ve heightened team member
education so they can keep an eye out for potentially distressed guests buying
gift cards and intervene as needed. We also continue to implement new technology
to prevent gift cards from being abused by fraudsters.”

The Chicago Better Business Bureau offers the following tips:

 * Government agencies requesting payment. No government agency ever requests
   money through gift cards.
 * Statements that buying gift cards is a safe way to make a payment. Providing
   the numbers for a gift card is like sending cash, and the money is rarely
   recoverable. Gift card payment requests are a big red flag for a scam.
 * Keep the receipt when buying a gift card. Keep the physical card as well.
   These may help prove that the card was paid for and activated if problems
   arise later.
 * Inspect the card carefully before buying it to be sure it has not been
   tampered with. Some scammers open the card to get the numbers on the back so
   that they can take the money when the card is later activated.

If you become a victim of a gift card scam, it is recommended you file a
complaint with your local BBB and the FTC.

THIS ARTICLE TAGGED UNDER:

gift card scamTarget Corp.scam


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