Utah newlyweds lose $800 in Target gift card scam

CENTERVILLE, Utah — Centerville resident Clayton Hadlock and his wife hadn’t even been married a month when they heard the bad news.

The couple had recently consolidated $1,000 worth of Target gift cards they’d received for their wedding and spent $200. When the newlyweds returned to their local Target a week later, however, they were told the remaining $800 had disappeared.

After some investigation, the retail store discovered that the money had been transferred from the newlyweds’ gift card to a different card in Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple was instructed to file a police report, and a Centerville police investigator has been searching for more information about the perpetrator since early June, though nothing conclusive has been found.

Now, over six months later, the couple still hasn’t seen a penny of their missing funds.

“We still haven’t received any money from Target,” Hadlock told KSL.com. “We’ve called them multiple times. We’ve had other people call them, trying to get our money back. But they tell us that unless they catch someone, they can’t give us the money back.”

Target spokesperson Jenna Wreck said the retail giant works with victims of fraud on a case-by-case basis. Unfortunately, gift card fraud is a growing problem in the industry, she said, though Hadlock’s situation is unusual.

“Typically, if it’s an open investigation with law enforcement, and they’re still looking into it, that’s generally not something that we would refund,” Wreck said. “But every case is different. Every situation is different, and so we do ask people to call our guest relations team directly and have a conversation. … Sometimes if we’re able to figure out where the money went or get it back, then we are able to do that. But it’s not the case all of the time.”

Most victims of fraud are scammed into sharing their gift card information or have it stolen while e-shopping. But Hadlock said he never gave out his gift card number and never used the card online.

“It’s been quite tough, honestly … and we were excited to buy kitchen appliances and furniture and all the things we need before we go back to school,” Hadlock said. “Because we didn’t have that kind of money, we had to spend it out of pocket. All those people who had donated hundreds and hundreds of dollars to us as wedding gifts, all that’s gone.”

With gift card fraud becoming a growing problem in retail, Target has issued some tips to help customers keep an eye out for common scams.

Target reminds customers that legitimate entities will never ask someone to pay their bills or fines in gift cards, and other businesses will not accept payment in the form of Target gift cards. Target also recommends being wary of calls from supposed relatives who need help and are asking for gift card numbers.

Scammers may also send a check and letter to victims and inform them that they can make money as a “mystery shopper” for a retail store. The scammers will attempt to convince victims to deposit the fake check, create a cashier’s check and buy items at the store. The fake check bounces after the guest has sent gift cards and merchandise to the scammer.

And though Hadlock believes he may not recover anything from his mystery scammer, he says his goal is to warn other shoppers, especially before the holiday season.

This article was originally published by KSL.com. It is used here with permission.