gift cards

[mookalovesgloop]

random noob question sorry.


you know those blank gift cards that you can get that look just like credit cards? are they of any use at all if you have them blank and deactivated? of course the common sense security measure they use is that they're worthless until you load money on them at the cash register/online. is there a way to arbitrarily add value to the card(s) without adding actual cash.

suppose i had a blank expired card like one of these. and, completely making these numbers up, of course-- if i ran it through a cardreader and got the following:

%B4253170012665375^FOR YOU/ESPECIALLY^13021010000000846000000?;4253170012665375
=130210100000846?

is there any "encrypted" data to be found, or is it pretty much trash?

is this a legal question? so sorry if i'm violating

peace
mooka

[fashizzlepop]

They're no good and of no use until they are registered and loaded with money. However, one common thing scammers do is they read the numbers on the card in the store, leave the cards there, and hope someone buys them, loads them, and then enables the scammer to cash them out (since they're now activated, etc).

[-Ninjex-]

They're no good and of no use until they are registered and loaded with money. However, one common thing scammers do is they read the numbers on the card in the store, leave the cards there, and hope someone buys them, loads them, and then enables the scammer to cash them out (since they're now activated, etc).

I never really thought about that.
I know some of the cards require you to make an online account to register before the money gets loaded onto it.

Thinking of credit cards.. Makes me think of a business plan I have had for a while now, just have to patent it... 100% fraud proof.