If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

A new crop of gift card scams have hit the streets and Plastic Jungle doesn’t want you to be caught flat-footed.

Text Message Gift Card Scam

If you get a text message saying you won a $200 Target gift card, ignore it. (Or better yet, delete it!) The text asks you to call a telephone number to claim the gift card. The person on the phone asks for your name, mailing address and Visa credit card number. They’ll say all you have to do is pay just $8 shipping and they’ll send you the gift card in 3-5 days. But guess what? The gift card never arrives and now your credit card number and identity is compromised.

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On my Facebook News Feed, I noticed that a friend of mine just “liked” a sponsor’s ad on Facebook about winning a $1000 Wal-mart gift card. Red flag! I checked it out myself then did some additional research online – sure enough, it’s a scam.

Here’s what the scam gift card site looks like when you click on it:

You’re asked to enter your email address and other personal information, including your address and phone number. Once entered, you’re asked to take part in a series of surveys. After completing the surveys, you’re then directed to numerous webpages where you must “participate” in “sponsor offers” which may include fees, subscriptions and products. After all this is said and done, there’s no guarantee you’ll even receive the gift card. Meanwhile, the site has gathered your information to sell to other businesses for telemarketing and junk mail.

Buying discounted gift cards through Plastic Jungle is always safe and all of our transactions are guaranteed.

Here’s how our Buyer Guarantee protects you:

• The gift card you purchased does not arrive within three (3) weeks of the date of purchase.
• Your gift card has a balance less than the listed balance at the time of purchase.
• Your gift card is not authentic or is not valid for use.

It’s a jungle out there – don’t fall prey to gift card fraud!