BATON ROUGE, LA –
With Christmas quickly approaching, countless Louisiana residents will opt-out
of shopping at busy stores and choose buying gift cards instead.
“Finding that perfect Christmas gift can be time consuming
and stressful, so many take advantage of the convenience of gift cards,” said
General Landry. “My office and I want to make sure that these consumers buy
valid gift cards and are not scammed out of their hard-earned money this
Christmas season.”
General Landry offers the following tips to both those
buying gift cards and those using them:
- Always buy
from known and trusted sources – avoiding online auction sites as cards
sold there could be counterfeit or obtained fraudulently.
- Read the fine
print before buying gift cards – checking for added fees.
- Note shipping
and handling costs when purchasing gift cards by phone or online.
- Give the
recipient of the gift card the original receipt in case of loss or theft.
- Before buying
retail gift cards, consider the financial condition of the retailer or
restaurant.
- Note special
terms and conditions, like expiration dates or usage fees.
- If the card
is lost or stolen, report it immediately to the issuer.
- Should the card expire before use, make a request for it to be replaced. The issuer may agree to exchange it or reverse deducted fees.
General Landry regularly releases holiday safety tips. For more tips on how to
protect yourself and your loved ones from fraud, call Attorney General Jeff
Landry’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-351-4889.
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