Be On The Lookout For This Diabolical Gift Card Scam In Minnesota + Wisconsin

During the holiday season, a lot of people buy gift cards for friends and family. Whether they're given as a small addition to a main gift or as a main gift, gift cards are a wildly popular way to give something to a loved one while also allowing them to pick out something they'd like.

As you head to stores around Minnesota and Wisconsin to do your holiday shopping, there's a new scam related to gift cards being spotted around the country that is just downright diabolical - leaving the recipient without the gift you intended and costing you money in the process.

In the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, it would be especially easy to fall for something like this! Here's how the scam works and how to protect yourself.

How does this new, grinchy gift card scam work?

A video from a police department warns that scammers will go into a store and steal unpaid for gift cards. The style of gift card targeted in this scam is the type that comes in a little cardboard envelope, such as Amazon gift cards or iTunes gift cards.

READ MORE: What does this hilariously-named Minnesota company do?

These unpaid for gift cards are useless to the scammers when they take them home - at first. What they do is open the envelope the gift card is in with a heat gun, knife, or other tools, then carefully remove the gift card.

They then cut the part of the gift card off that has the scratch-off code used for online purchases. After doing this, they re-attach the rest of the gift card and re-seal the pouch, returning it to the store. The barcode on the bottom, which is visible from a closed pouch, goes back into the store so it can be activated.

Once back in the store, a shopper would grab the re-sealed pouch, buy the gift card, and activate the code that the scammer now has at home by buying it. Once you've paid for the gift card, the scammer can use that scratch-off code to make purchases without needing the whole gift card.

You spent the money, and your gift recipient gets what you think is a gift card for the dollar amount you spent, but the scammer has the important part of the gift card, so they get to spend that gift card, and not your recipient.

How can you protect yourself against this scam?

The officer in the video says the best thing to do is to feel for the entire card - which should be about the size of a credit card. Another recommendation the officer offers is to, before purchasing the gift card, to ask the store employee at the checkout if you can remove the gift card from the pouch to inspect it before buying the gift card.

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Remember, the barcode used to activate the gift card will allow you to purchase the card and activate the code, which the scammer has, waiting for someone to activate it.

Here's the video highlighting the devious details of this scam: