POLICE in the US are warning shoppers to watch out for fake barcodes on gift cards sold at stores. 

It seems thieves are scamming gift cards in the run up to Christmas – by placing their own barcode right on top of the existing one and stealing your money. 

The Boca Raton Police Department in Florida posted a warning to shoppers on their official Facebook page following a spate of incidents in the city.

On Monday, the force wrote: “Scammers are printing out their own barcodes and placing them over the actual gift card barcode at local retailers.  

“When the card is activated, the money is added to the scammer’s card instead of the card being purchased.” 

“Although this scam isn’t entirely new, Boca Raton Police recently had a case where fraudulent barcodes were discovered on gift cards during a routine check by a retail employee."

The force said fraudulent barcodes were discovered by a Walgreens store employee – and have now issued guidelines to the public on how to spot the fakes.  

The manager of the Walgreens branch – located at 21324 St. Andrews Boulevard – called police after checking the gift card stand. 

When the manager opened up three Visa gift cards, she confirmed the barcode on the outside of the package did not match the inside. 

Police later confirmed the barcode placed on the outside of the gift card loaded onto the crook’s barcode instead of the card being purchased. 

Shoppers are recommended to make sure the barcode on the back of the card matches the number on the packaging itself. 

They also suggest shoppers check for stickers placed over the barcode.

Unsuspecting customers are advised to pick up gift cards in the middle or back of the rack – as criminals will likely go for the front cards because they can commit the crime more quickly.

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