Fraud Alerts

Tips to Help Avoid Gift Card Fraud

• RMG GROUP branded Gift Cards can only be used at the designated RMG GROUP Branded stores from which they were issued in the U.S. or Puerto Rico, or on-line. A legitimate government entity, including the IRS, Treasury Department, FBI or local police department, will accept any form of gift cards as payment.
• Other businesses do not accept payments in the form of RMG GROUP branded Gift Cards. For example, you will never be asked to pay your utility bills, bail money,      debt collection and hospital bills with our Gift Cards.
• Do not purchase, sell, or check your balance on online marketplaces outside of RMG GROUP Branded and authentic websites.
• If you get a call from a stranger who says that a loved one is in trouble and they ask you to provide gift card numbers to help them, hang up and contact your loved one directly.
• Don’t always trust your caller ID. Scammers can manipulate a caller ID to look like a      legitimate company or government agency.
• Don’t purchase a gift card if it appears that the packaging has been altered or manipulated. If you have questions about a gift card, ask someone who works at that store.
• Don’t click on or respond to online ads or websites offering gift cards. These are often scams.
• If you think you’ve been the victim of a gift card scam, report it to the Federal Trade      Commission at ftccomplaintassistant.gov.

Common Gift Card ScamsThe Grandparent ScamIn this scam, the scammer will call a victim and indicate that a loved one is in some sort of trouble (i.e. kidnapped, arrested, etc.). Sometimes, the scammer pretends to be a lawyer or the loved one themselves and asks directly for money. The scammer then instructs the victim to purchase gift cards and give the gift card numbers to the scammer over the phone.

The Tech Support Scam

Perpetrators of tech support scams try to trick victims into believing their computers are infected and they need help. Some scammers pretend to be connected with Microsoft, Apple or a familiar security software company such as Norton or McAfee, and claim to have detected malware that poses an imminent threat to the person’s computer. Other scams feature planted website ads or pop-ups that display warning messages, some even featuring a clock ticking down the minutes before the victim’s hard drive will be destroyed by a virus — unless he or she calls a toll-free number for assistance in deactivating the menace. Such scammers will often ask for remote access to your computer to run phony diagnostic tests and pretend to discover defects in need of fixing. They’ll pressure you to pay for unnecessary repairs or new software and ask for payment via gift cards.

Additional ResourcesAvoid Being the Victim of a Scam

Internal Revenue Service (IRS):  https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-scams-consumer-alertsFederal 

Trade Commission (FTC) 10 Things You Can Do to Avoid Fraud:  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0060-10-things-you-can-do-avoid-fraudThe 

National Council on Aging Top 10 Financial Scams Targeting Seniors:  https://www.ncoa.org/economic-security/money-management/scams-security/top-10-scams-targeting-seniors/Reporting 

Suspicious BehaviorInternal Revenue Service (IRS)

• Report IRS      impersonation scams to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax      Administration: https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml or call      800-366-4484.
• If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

• Contact the FTC,      which handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit https://ftccomplaintassistant.gov/, call      1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to Federal Trade Commission, CRC-240,      Washington, D.C. 20580.
• For updates on other types of potential scams, check out the FTC’s “scam alert” website at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts.

A fraud method in which the fraudster sends out a legitimate-looking email to gather personal and financial information from recipients. The scammer sends an email to an unsuspecting customer that may look just like a legitimate Walmart email (including use of the Walmart logo.) If the customer falls for the bait (thus the “fishing” reference), the thief could get credit card numbers, PINs, account passwords, expiration dates, credit card/bank account numbers and even Social Security numbers. Learn more about phishing. Learn more about phishing.

Vishing: 

Vishing is very similar to "phishing" but instead of occurring through email, vishing happens over the phone. In these scams, fraudsters pose as a trusted retailer or bank and obtain personal information from the customer by requesting they "verify" the information on file. The information gained is then used for fraudulent transactions.

A good rule of thumb: If someone is contacting you to verify your personal information, it is very likely you did not provide it to them in the first place, and it is not a legitimate request. Legitimate companies will not expect you to provide your social security number or other personal information when they call you. If you receive a call like this, do not provide any information. If in doubt, call back a trusted number for the company, such as the one on a statement or invoice, the back of your credit/debit card, or on their official website (Do not use the phone number provided by the person on the phone or sent through a suspicious email.) Learn more about vishing.

Smishing: 

A combination of the terms "SMS" and "phishing." It is similar to phishing but refers to fraudulent messages sent over SMS (text messaging) rather than email. The fraudster may text you saying you’ve won a free gift card. Remember, you can’t win a contest you didn’t enter. Walmart doesn’t notify winners of any contest via text message. Learn more about smishing.

Tips to Avoid These Scams

• Never      provide personal information in response to an unsolicited request,      whether it is over the phone or internet. A trusted company will never ask      a customer for highly sensitive information during a call they initiated.      A financial institution may ask for the account holder’s partial Social      Security Number for verification, but they will never ask for the entire      Social Security Number, account number or PIN.
• Do      not respond to any suspicious looking email, automated calls, or text      messages.
• Don’t      trust the Caller ID. Fraudsters can manipulate the Caller ID to have it      display a legitimate business’ name. To be safe, you can check to see if      the phone number matches the number that appears on your bank statement,      credit/debit card, or on their official website.
• Avoid      fraudulent sites by entering web addresses directly into the browser      yourself or by using bookmarks you create. Do not click on links in emails      that you did not directly request from a company or that look suspicious.
• If      you have fallen victim to such a scam, contact your financial institution      immediately to protect your accounts.

Don't respond or reply to an email, phone call, or text message that:

• Requires      you to supply personal or account information directly in the email
• Requires      you to click on a link to provide more personal or account information
• Threatens      to close or suspend your account if you do not take immediate action
• Invites      you to answer a survey that asks you to enter personal or account      information

States that your account has been compromised or that there has been third-party activity on your account, then asks you to enter or confirm your personal or account information 

 Scammers may pose as relatives or friends, calling or sending messages to urge you to wire money or load prepaid cards immediately. They’ll say they need cash to help with an emergency---like getting out of jail, paying a hospital bill, or needing to leave a foreign country. The goal is to trick you into sending money before you realize it is a scam.

Common Tactics Used by Callers Committing Fraud

• They      call or text from numbers that look familiar
• They      play on your emotions
• They      swear you to secrecy
• They      need the money immediately

What You Need to Know

• Caller ID can be faked
• Always talk to someone to verify what was told to you
• If you believe you have responded to a scam, file a complaint with the FTC 1-877-FTC HELP or online at ftc.gov/complaint

How to Protect Yourself
Be alert for phone and email scams from individuals that could be impersonating a loved one. Providing gift card numbers over the phone should not be a method of providing funds. Once the numbers are provided, the funds are gone. ALWAYS validate that the loved one is in trouble.

Additional Resources
Scam Awareness

 The goal of this scam is to encourage consumers to take multiple surveys and pay for shipping in exchange for a “free” gift, like a high-quality piece of jewelry, a store-branded gift card for a significant amount, or another product. However, after fulfilling the requirements, the consumer may never receive the promised gift, or they will be charged more than just shipping.

How These Scams Work

1. Consumers either receive a spam email or come across a web advertisement or web site from “RMG GROUP” offering a high-quality piece of jewelry or another gift in exchange for participating in surveys and paying the cost of shipping.
2. The consumer is taken to a web site that has branding that makes it appear to be a legitimate merchant (ex: RMG GROUP eCommerce), there the consumer is asked to enter an email address and other personal information, including home address, phone number, and credit/debit card numbers. The privacy policy on the site will typically indicate that this information will be sold to other businesses for their purposes, such as telemarketing and junk mail.
3. Once this information is entered, the consumer may be asked to take part in a      series of surveys.
4. Once the surveys are complete (if they were offered at all), the consumer is allowed to select their “free” gift, but it will end up costing the consumer a great deal of money in fees, hidden subscriptions,      and unwanted products. In addition, at the end of the process there is no      guarantee that the consumer will even receive the gift. 

RMG GROUP Practices

• RMG GROUP does not solicit online for individuals to complete online surveys for gift cards or gifts, nor do we send unsolicited emails asking individuals to participate in our surveys
• RMG GROUP does not endorse and is not affiliated with any "sponsor offer" related program or survey
• RMG GROUP will never send you emails or surveys that are contingent on your      making purchases, subscriptions, or fulfilling other financial requirements
• Drawings for the legitimate RMG GROUP receipt survey occur four times a year.      Winners of the register receipt gift card are notified by certified mail, never via email

How to Protect Yourself

• Don't open or respond to unsolicited e-mails offering gift cards or other      gifts
• Don't click on or respond to online ads or websites offering gift cards or      other gifts
• Pay attention to the website URL. If the URL does not match the branding to a      legitimate website navigate away from the website

To Report Suspected Sponsor Offer Scams

If you suspect you have been directed to a phony website claiming to be connected with RMG GROUP, please send an email with the link to abuse@rmggroup.com. The email abuse team will then work with authorities to put an end to the particular scam.If you suspect you have received a fraudulent email claiming to be from RMG GROUP, please send the email directly to RMG GROUP at OnlineAbuse@rmggroup.com with the scam as an attachment. For investigatory purposes, please do not cut and paste the email, forward the email, or change the subject line.

Additional Resources

BBB Scam Stopper 

Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker