[jpkoning]

>Even just adding a 4 hour "activation time" on cards worth more than $250 would make the scam just a little harder to pull off

That's a good idea.

Implicit in this idea is that victims can call a customer help number and get gift card balances frozen and reversed. I don't know if this is possible to do right now.

If so, fraudsters might start up a new scam. Buy $1000 in Target gift cards, spend the money at Target, call up Target and claim that a scammer stole the funds, and then get $1000 back, netting $2000.

Target would have to build a new department just to adjudicate gift card claims. At which point it might decide that it's just not worth the hassle of issuing gift cards.

[sjburt]

Scammers want cash, they don't want $1000 of Target merchandise that they have to figure out how to sell. Gift cards aren't quite cash, but they're easier to sell.