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A gift card may have a toll-free number on the back which one can call to verify the balance of the card, using the card number and security code.
A potential buyer once asked me for this information to "check the value" of the card, which I provided. WHY WAS/IS THIS A BAD IDEA?
As I came to discover, ANYONE can use the the card number and security code to make a purchase at the online site of retailer who issued the card -- WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING THE CARD IN THEIR POSSESSION!
Don't make the mistake I did. Volunteering these numbers to "verify" the balance of the card is tantamout to writing your credit card information on a piece of paper and handing it to a random stranger in a crowded room. A seller's feedback ought to be sufficient to satisfy any potential buyers that the item for sale possesses its purported value.
A potential buyer once asked me for this information to "check the value" of the card, which I provided. WHY WAS/IS THIS A BAD IDEA?
As I came to discover, ANYONE can use the the card number and security code to make a purchase at the online site of retailer who issued the card -- WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING THE CARD IN THEIR POSSESSION!
Don't make the mistake I did. Volunteering these numbers to "verify" the balance of the card is tantamout to writing your credit card information on a piece of paper and handing it to a random stranger in a crowded room. A seller's feedback ought to be sufficient to satisfy any potential buyers that the item for sale possesses its purported value.
Guide created: 08/22/06 (updated 06/16/09)
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