Dong Shao arrested: Alleged gift card scammer accused of targeting Giant grocery stores in Westtown and East Goshen townships.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) — Chester County police have arrested a gift card scam suspect who allegedly targeted Giant grocery stores in Westtown and East Goshen townships.

Some shoppers now think twice before purchasing a gift card.

“I just bought one, I just bought a gift card,” Judith Mace, of Chester Springs, said Wednesday.

Police said Dong Shao, 33, scratched the protective coating to show the gift card's code, then put the protective coating back on the card and put it back on the store shelf.

Then, when a customer purchased the falsified card, Shao allegedly used the stored code to drain the funds before the customer could use it.

This scam, called “gift card burnout,” is a recurring problem for retailers, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Over the course of 2023, more than 41,000 cases of gift card fraud have been reported nationwide, totaling nearly $217 million in losses.

Now, some customers say they will inspect cards before purchasing them or purchase them from behind a counter if possible.

“I usually pick them up directly from a cashier behind a counter. To go to those multiple shelves and pick them up from there, no, I don't do that,” said Sam Crispin, of East Goshen.

We spoke with Peggy McCoey, a cybersecurity expert who explains what to do if you are a victim of this crime.

“I would go back to the store first and then call the organization that issued the card,” said McCoey, an assistant professor at La Salle University and graduate director of computer science and information technology leadership.

Court documents show that's how Shao was arrested. Customers returned to the store to report that there was no money on their cards. From there, police reviewed surveillance video and were able to find Shao.

McCoey adds that another way to avoid being scammed is to try to buy a card where you can control the amount of money loaded. She says a scammer may choose to forge a card that already has a predetermined amount on it.