MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Walking out of Walmart, Connie Gilman says gift cards make gift giving much easier during the holidays.
"I don't know what the people like and this way they can pick what they want," she said.
One concern on her mind is gift card scams.
"It's been advertised in the newspaper and TV that there's been scams. So, I check it and get the receipt, so I have a copy of it," she said.
This week, the Martin County Sheriff's Office arrested Caoyuan Liu and Lingham Chen, who were allegedly caught tampering with gift cards at a local grocery store. An employee called deputies when they noticed the pair tampering with a gift card display.
Region Martin County
Martin County Sheriff's Office arrests 2 in gift card scam
Investigators say the scam involves replacing new cards with stolen cards with scratched-off account numbers. Deputies say when someone buys the card, they don't know it's been tampered with until it is activated, and the account balance shows zero.
Authorities say Chen and Liu are linked to cases nationwide including ten different cities in Florida, from Miami to Sarasota to Orlando.
Ellen Wack says she's concerned about scams, so she's been buying e-cards.
"You can email it, and nobody is going to get that number. So, it's much safer, it is much safer. It's nice to give something physical but for Christmas I'm probably going to send my sister who's up north probably an e-gift card," she said.
E-gift cards work similarly to the way a typical gift card works but without the actual card. The giver simply buys a card online and loads it with money. The recipient then receives the e-gift card via email. That person then activates the card.
Gilman says she bought a gift card two days ago.
"Actually, Southwest Airlines. That way I know my kids will come visit me," she said.
When buying a gift card, the Federal Trade Commission says to check for tampering, make sure the protective stickers are on the card and check that the pin number on the back isn't showing and always keep a copy of the gift card and receipt.
Both of the suspects are from China. Liu is undocumented and Chen is in the U.S. on a student visa. They're both being held at the Martin County Jail with immigration detainers.
