Many people received gift cards this holiday season, but some are finding out the balance is gone before they have a chance to use it. Dozens of people in Snohomish County are having problems with gift cards purchased at area grocery stores. Many people we heard from say Amazon and Visa gift cards were the most common types. Victims say they bought the cards off the rack, and once activated, the balance had been drained by someone else. Over the past year, Torrie Amaratunge’s family had this happen twice, with gift cards that were gifted to them by two different people. One was a VISA gift card for $50 and the other was an Amazon gift card for $250. Both cards had their full balance stolen. “So, my husband's boss got him a gift card for Christmas,” said Amaratunge. “It should have been $250. But when we got around to spending it, it was zero.” This has been a common occurrence in Snohomish County, with dozens of people on one Nextdoor post sharing similar experiences with gift cards bought from area grocery stores. “When I saw the response online that other people were going through this, I was like, something needs to be done,” said Amaratunge. Most people on the post said when they tried to get money back, they were unsuccessful. They said neither the grocery stores or the companies the gift cards were for would take accountability. People on Nextdoor believe the gift card information is stolen from the cards hanging in the store and then they are put back on the shelf. Once activated, they believe the thieves use the card before the recipient can. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/gift-card-balance-theft-snohomish-county/281-15f6ea82-1ff9-4624-82ed-8fe6bfc90d4f