We often purchase Shell Gas Gift Cards from Kroger to get the 4x fuel points (not essential to the story), but we just learned a hard lesson which I will share.At a Shell station in MS I tried to charge gas to an unused $100 Shell gift card and was told the balance was $0. When we reached our destination I called the 800 number and confirmed that the card was activated in June 2015, but there were multiple charges in CA in November 2015. I told the person these were not my charges and I was instructed to file a formal protest.We think that a person took the number from the card, waited for the card to be activated, then charged the $100. Note that at Kroger the gift cards are kept on the rack unprotected, and there is no concealed PIN to protect the purchaser. Beware and think twice about purchasing any gift cards that are similarly displayed ans have no PIN.

I don't understand as you say they "waited for the card to be activated"? How do they know when it has been activated?

That stinks, but unfortunately, isn't all that uncommon. Gift cards are ok but are essentially like cash and offer about the same level of protection.

4aSong wrote:I don't understand as you say they "waited for the card to be activated"? How do they know when it has been activated?There's a website you can check balance. All they would have to do is have the card number, check every day, or at whatever intervals, and when they see it has a balance, there ya go.That really sucks. Thieves need to be hogtied and whipped in my opinion.Mike

Maybe by going to the Kroger website and putting in the card number ?But since the op is in Virginia the crooked user got the card numbers online? Unless of course the op bought the cards in Calif and didn't use then until now ?I don't think I would wait six months to use a gas gift cardIt would be used at my next fill upThere are two lessons in this story, Be careful what you buy, and use it immediately, Better to save the cash, instead of saving the cardFor later use

MrWizard wrote:Maybe by going to the Kroger website and putting in the card number ?But since the op is in Virginia the crooked user got the card numbers online? Unless of course the op bought the cards in Calif and didn't use then until now ?I don't think I would wait six months to use a gas gift cardIt would be used at my next fill upThere are two lessons in this story, Be careful what you buy, and use it immediately, Better to save the cash, instead of saving the cardFor later useWe bought the gift cards at Kroger on the rack where all cards are kept. A thief would merely walk up to the rack, copy down numbers to any unprotected gift card without a concealed PIN, also copy the 800 number for checking balances, wait a week or 2, when a real customer (like me) purchases the card, the 800 number will report a balance (in this case $100). Then the thief has the card number and goes on a flippin spending spree until he spends the $100.Moral is: make sure any gift card you purchase has a concealed PIN before purchasing. This Shell card had no such PIN.

Stolen Gas Gift Card | Good Sam Community

27 Replies

bid_time
Nomad II
Dec 29, 2015
How does someone use a gas card without the card itself? I have several gas cards, you have to present the card to be run through the scanner in order to use it. It's not like an Visa card where you can order online. The thief must have been in cahoots with a Shell gas station employee in order to make a purchase without the actual card in hand. I would think it would be pretty easy for Shell to identify what clerk(s) were working at the time of the fraud. Then you have your pool of likely suspect(s). Then time to review the video.
MrWizard
Moderator
Dec 29, 2015
Yes..I understand how you think the card number wss FIRST Aquired
My point was I don't think a person doing this (getting the card number in June) would wait 5 months and go all the way to Calif before using it
It's more likely that the card number was acquired thru some data breach and then sold on the internet

And number 2
You increased the risk by waiting six months before you used it
You bought it to get the gas points on your account
Surely you have used/bought more than $100 worth of gas in the past six months
Why did you not use that gas card for the gas you bought
vjstangelo
Explorer
Dec 29, 2015
MrWizard wrote:
Maybe by going to the Kroger website and putting in the card number ?
But since the op is in Virginia the crooked user got the card numbers online? Unless of course the op bought the cards in Calif and didn't use then until now ?
I don't think I would wait six months to use a gas gift card
It would be used at my next fill up
There are two lessons in this story,
Be careful what you buy, and use it immediately,
Better to save the cash, instead of saving the card
For later use

We bought the gift cards at Kroger on the rack where all cards are kept. A thief would merely walk up to the rack, copy down numbers to any unprotected gift card without a concealed PIN, also copy the 800 number for checking balances, wait a week or 2, when a real customer (like me) purchases the card, the 800 number will report a balance (in this case $100). Then the thief has the card number and goes on a flippin spending spree until he spends the $100.

Moral is: make sure any gift card you purchase has a concealed PIN before purchasing. This Shell card had no such PIN.
MrWizard
Moderator
Dec 29, 2015
Maybe by going to the Kroger website and putting in the card number ?
But since the op is in Virginia the crooked user got the card numbers online? Unless of course the op bought the cards in Calif and didn't use then until now ?
I don't think I would wait six months to use a gas gift card
It would be used at my next fill up
There are two lessons in this story,
Be careful what you buy, and use it immediately,
Better to save the cash, instead of saving the card
For later use
Walaby
Explorer II
Dec 29, 2015
4aSong wrote:
I don't understand as you say they "waited for the card to be activated"? How do they know when it has been activated?

There's a website you can check balance. All they would have to do is have the card number, check every day, or at whatever intervals, and when they see it has a balance, there ya go.

That really sucks. Thieves need to be hogtied and whipped in my opinion.

Mike
jfkmk
Explorer
Dec 29, 2015
That stinks, but unfortunately, isn't all that uncommon. Gift cards are ok but are essentially like cash and offer about the same level of protection.
4aSong
Explorer
Dec 29, 2015
I don't understand as you say they "waited for the card to be activated"? How do they know when it has been activated?

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Stolen Gas Gift Card

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