Scammers cover up real gift card barcodes with custom codes, allowing them to quietly load your cash onto their cards at checkout.

I've been working at PCMag since November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

Scammers have come up with a new, hard-to-detect way to earn money from physical gift cards during the holidays.

As CTVNews reports(Opens in a new window) , shoppers in Canada are being warned to check the barcode on gift cards before purchasing them as they may have a fake barcode on the back. The scam was discovered by former police officer Nichelle Laus, who attempted to purchase a $50 Winners gift card back in October, but it showed up as an Esso gas gift card when scanned.

A closer look at the card revealed it had a barcode sticker on the back that covered up the real Winners barcode. If Laus had completed the purchase, the scammer's Esso card would have been topped up with $50 while her gift card would be worthless.

The same thing happened again last weekend when Laus, who now checks every gift card before buying it, went to purchase a $100 PlayStation gift card. Sure enough, sliding her finger over the back revealed a slightly raised barcode because a sticker had been applied to the card.

Laus recorded an Instagram video(Opens in a new window) demonstrating how the PlayStation gift card scam worked. She also posted a TikTok video(Opens in a new window) showing one of the stickers being removed.

Although this is happening in Canada, it's likely to spread due to how hard it is to spot the fake barcode unless you are checking the card before purchase. So before buying any gift card at a store, run your finger over the barcode to ensure a barcode sticker hasn't been applied.

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I've been working at PCMag since November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

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