Can someone use my Gift Card (M&S) if they have a photo of the barcode? What to do if so...

Tunstallstoven

Hi

I have an M&S gift card I don't want to use and so have put it up for sale on Facebook and eBay.  I put photos in the listings of the front and back of the card.  I blanked out the numbers on the back, but not the barcode...  

An ebay user got in touch to tell me that someone could access the funds with a screenshot or photo of the barcode (they said it had happened to them).  Apparently they could use a bar code scanner or something, and then make an instore purchase at a self service till.  

The FB listing has been deleted, but was viewed by 17 people before deletion.  The ebay listing is live, but I removed the photo of the back.  At that stage it had had around 6 page views. 

I'm thinking I'd be very unlucky that a scammer would do such a thing with such limited viewing, but then I guess it could happen.   Does anyone know if someone can spend the card with just a photo/screenshot of the barcode?  

I've spoken to M&S about it.  Getting them to understand the situation was an exercise in patience, with no end result!  From what I could garner they could transfer the funds onto a new card, but only if I go into store - which I can't. 

Any help most appreciated.  

soolin

if they have a decent screen grab of the barcode then to my limited techy brain it would work in reverse on a self service till . After all I have used barcodes on my phone from emails (I am very low tech) to get onto trains and into music venues- I know some people actually store the tickets in e wallets and such like- but they work straight off an email for me. 

BJV

I would think that they can as the till will just want a bar code. A good screen shot ? With M&S you only need the other numbers under the bit you scratch off when you buy something online. TBH if it was me I would call M&S again and tell them that you want to cancel this one and get a replacement. 

GabbaGabbaHey

If you have a bar code, it is trivially easy to work out which numbers it represents. (The camera on most smartphones can do this for you, or any bar code scanner app).

forgotmyname

No idea on that card but sometimes the numbers are accessible from the barcode / QR code.  There was a thread

a while back where someone posted a link, the card and pin number was embedded in the code.

Brywalker

If you're really worried I suggest you spend it ASAP. 

Tunstallstoven

The balance is now ZERO!  Totally gutted...  I can't believe I didn't think to cover the barcode - even though I did edit the picture to blank out the numbers.  Just didn't occur to me that this could be done.  

What's annoying is that prior to putting it up for sale, I did call M&S and asked how the card can be used.  They said to use it in store the physical card would be needed, and to use it online the PIN beneath the scratch panel would be needed.  So in all honesty I felt I was being paranoid even blotting out the numbers on the card.  

Lesson learnt I guess.  And hopefully anyone reading this in the future might get tipped off before it's too late.  

I will speak to M&S to see if anything can be done, but not holding out much hope.  

Yes, spending it ASAP would have been a good idea but I was not able to earlier.  

Thanks for the replies

GabbaGabbaHey

forgotmyname said:

No idea on that card but sometimes the numbers are accessible from the barcode / QR code.

A bar code is just another way of representing a number. We use the digits 0 to 9 to represent numbers. The Romans used I, II III, IV, V, etc. Hebrew uses‎ אבגדה etc. A bar code uses lines of different width. As I mentioned earlier, you can turn any bar code into the equivalent number trivially easily.

forgotmyname

GabbaGabbaHey said:

A bar code is just another way of representing a number. We use the digits 0 to 9 to represent numbers. The Romans used I, II III, IV, V, etc. Hebrew uses‎ אבגדה etc. A bar code uses lines of different width. As I mentioned earlier, you can turn any bar code into the equivalent number trivially easily.

Yes, but would would you expect the provider to put the cards PIN number in that barcode? Thats quite silly of them. 

I prefer QR codes.  So many uses.

Tunstallstoven

I don't think the pin number is accessible from the bar code, but can't say for sure. 

I personally don't feel like it's good practice to allow purchases to be made with just the bar code. Those cards can hold up to £1000! I think it would be a much better idea if the cards had to be used physically (so with a cashier), or - if they feel the self service is a must - by somehow making it that you have to use the cards pin at the machine. Otherwise it's just too easy to access the large amounts of money...

forgotmyname

There was a thread I remember, OP posted a picture of the actual card, it was about 5 or 6 posts later

where someone said the PIN was visible.  Argos voucher/card??  May have been a QR code rather than

a barcode.  Probably quite a while ago for that thread so memory a bit vague.