According to USA Today, the holiday season is upon us, and gift cards are ripe for giving and receiving, and stealing.

I'm a big fan of giving out gift cards for the holidays. That way I don't have to buy any Christmas gifts. All I have to do is pick out a nice gift card, decide how much goes on the card and then I'm finished.

But what about stealing gift cards? That's something no one wants to deal with. These days, the popularity of gift cards makes them such a prime target for thieves.

It's very important to watch out for scams. Scams can range from a bogus sticker being stuck on a card, to PIN codes being compromised.

For example: there are scammers who visit stores and write down the number and PIN on the back of a card. after they see it's been bought, they hop online and use up the balance.

So it's a good idea to check the card to see if the wrapping has been tampered with, or if the PIN code has been revealed.

The most important thing you can do is guard your card. Make your cards hard for a scammer to snatch by tucking then into your wallet or purse.

There are so many different ways that you can use a gift card, but always be on the lookout for potential scammers and protect yourself at all costs.

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