Police are reminding people to check gift cards twice before buying them.

The Verona Police Department said scammers are stealing gift card numbers and PINs from grocery stores, putting the cards back and waiting for someone to activate the card .

"They'll monitor the card online or sometimes use bots to be able to check the balances regularly. Once the card is bought and activated, then they can very quickly drain the funds and transfer the stolen money to other accounts, even use the funds on digital marketplaces," said Caitlin Driscoll, public relations director for the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania.

The Better Business Bureau said this is a nationwide scam, with customers not knowing the card has been drained until they go to use it.

Verona police say they a

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