Harveys’ workers explain how they decrease gift card scams
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The AARP reports 34% of adults in the U.S. said they or someone they know had been targeted by scams seeking payment by gift card. Of those who were targeted, 24% followed through by purchasing gift cards and sharing the activation numbers with a scammer.
“We definitely have a lot of people coming in to get gift cards.” said Andrew Woody, Dining Room Supervisor at Harvey’s. “We have a really big gift card program not only at our store, but with our whole company.
Scammers can drain gift cards by getting the bar code, CVV number, pin number, or activation code, skimming all of the money from it before a buyer even has a chance to use the card.
Joshua Williams, the Assistant General manager at Harvey’s said the restaurant makes people fill out forms when buying a gift card, to decrease the chances of fraudulent activity.
“We keep everything classified in our office or here at the restaurant,” said Williams. “If someone fills it out, they have to fill it out and return it back to a manager, a bartender, or a server. They have to bring it back to us regardless. If anyone tries to scam, we always have something to cover our back and the guest back as well.”
Columbus Residents MacArthur Whitfield and Nelson Roland said they know scams are common this time of year.
Which is why they take a few extra minutes to check everything when shopping for the holidays.
“Whenever I am buying a gift card,” said Roland. “I make sure that I do not put any type of personal information from it on my phone, I make sure it is legit, and sometimes I even take it up to the front counter to let them check it out.”
“I make sure I call customer service and make sure everything is legit,” said Whitfield. “People sometimes who call through the telephone and pretend they are with these companies on these gift cards, they try and sell all type of stuff, and I know quite a few people who have been scammed like that, by these telemarketers.”
Williams said the system at Harvey’s has been very effective in deterring scammers.
