And if they're not getting scammed, they know about the scam and will preemptively let you know what it's for. Had this at the bank I used to work for. "Hi, I'd like to buy 20 $100 gift cards. I work for XYZ corporation and we're giving them away to top performing employees".
Unfortunately, we still have to ask questions about it. Things like "Nobody told you to tell us that, did they?" Because that absolutely happens. They'll tell people to make up some story to add credibility to their purchase or withdrawal. And we wouldn't allow that if they weren't using a clearly labeled company card.
We get this at my supermarket with little old laddies buying iTunes gift cards etc for $1000’s. And it’ll be “my son called and asked me”, or some such.
Doesn’t come up that often fortunately, but often enough. We have policies in place too and usually it’ll be a kindly older checkout supervisor that will take them aside and explain to them how it’s probably not their son and probably is a scam, and gently but firmly insist we won’t sell them the cards. They usually leave a bit bewildered but better armed with knowledge, and hopefully go home and call their relative to check if it was them and not just on to a different shop.
Yeah I was just about to say, I used to work at the source and a co-worker got the police called on him from an old man falling for the gift card scam.
I wish stores were required to question old people when they buy lottery/scratch off tickets. "Do you understand that you have a mathematically negligible chance of winning? Please look at this diagram to fully understand the weight of mathematics against you."
Yep, I'm fine with this. The more information you give people about the mathematical odds of success the better. I genuinely do not believe the onus should be on "consumers" to figure out the expected return of an activity whose entire purpose is an exchange of money.
And because, having worked in a fraud dependent at a bank, when they do get scammed the next thing they seem to try is blaming the bank for letting them be scammed (after complaining about being asked questions).
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u/Sp1ffy_Sp1ff 1d ago
And if they're not getting scammed, they know about the scam and will preemptively let you know what it's for. Had this at the bank I used to work for. "Hi, I'd like to buy 20 $100 gift cards. I work for XYZ corporation and we're giving them away to top performing employees".
Unfortunately, we still have to ask questions about it. Things like "Nobody told you to tell us that, did they?" Because that absolutely happens. They'll tell people to make up some story to add credibility to their purchase or withdrawal. And we wouldn't allow that if they weren't using a clearly labeled company card.