OPP warn of scam involving gift card barcodes

OPP in Hawkesbury, Ont., are warning shoppers look out for fake barcodes on gift cards as part of a scam they're seeing in the area. 

Police say someone is placing stickers over the card's barcodes that are copies of another barcode on an existing card. 

When customers go to put money on the gift card, it effectively redirects it to the scammer's card instead.

The customer's gift card wont have any funds on it when they go to use it in the future. 

The scam takes advantage of blank gift cards that are displayed on sales racks and need to have a dollar amount loaded onto them.

OPP Const. Mario Gratton said both customers and merchants have reported fraudulent cards.

"They'll deposit maybe $50 in it. Then when the customer comes back to purchase something, that's when they'll notice it's fake," Gratton said.

Police said shoppers should "give the barcode a scratch to make sure it's the real thing" before buying a gift card.