HARRISBURG, PA – December 2, 2025 – As Pennsylvanians enter the busiest gift card purchasing season of the year, Senator Lisa M. Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh) announced that she will introduce a bipartisan, two-bill package aimed at preventing the growing wave of “card maxing out” scams targeting holiday shoppers across the commonwealth.
Gift card “exhaustion” occurs when thieves record card activation numbers on store shelves and then wait for unsuspecting shoppers to load up their funds. Once the card is activated, fraudsters immediately steal the online balance, long before the customer or recipient tries to apply it. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that many of these programs are linked to criminal networks operating in the People’s Republic of China that apply stolen funds to support human trafficking and the distribution of fentanyl. Incidents have increased in Pennsylvania, and more than two dozen other states have introduced fresh laws and proposals to lend a hand curb the problem.
“Every year, thousands of Pennsylvanians give gift cards during the holidays because they are simple and convenient,” Boscola said. “But too many families find their gift has been drained by a fraudster before it has even been used. We should not allow criminals to take advantage of this season of generosity.”
Boscoli’s future legislation includes two elements:
- Act on counterfeit gift cards and data theftwhich constitutes a targeted crime involving manipulation before activation and collecting or possessing activation data from cards put up for sale.
- Gift Card Fraud Prevention Warnings and Training Actrequiring retailers selling third-party gift cards to post standard fraud warnings and provide employees with basic training based on model materials provided by the Attorney General.
Boscola emphasized that the package reflects cross-party cooperation that is already taking shape in the Senate.
“This is a common-sense, bipartisan effort to protect consumers before they are defrauded,” Boscola said. “Shoppers deserve to know that the gift cards they buy are safe, and retailers deserve clear standards to help stop these types of schemes before they go into effect.”
The bill package will be formally introduced in the coming days, and additional co-sponsors are expected to join it once the language is finalized. Boscola said she hopes action will be taken sooner rather than later so that consumers can benefit from stronger protection ahead of next year’s holiday season.
“Pennsylvania should not be left behind,” she added. “If we act now, we can put in place real safeguards and give shoppers peace of mind that the gifts they buy will reach the people they love.”
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