Card purchased was compromised, not backed by Raise
"I purchased a $250 Ross Stores gift card from Raise which I planned to give to my wife as a gift at a later date. When the card arrived, I verified the balance at $250. I then placed the card in a safe place and forgot about it until today - 18 months later. Guess what... the balance is now ZERO. Of course, I'm reasonable and understand that Raise has a guarantee which has long since passed. Unfortunately, they are willing to do NOTHING. I guess that's fair - they support the card for one year, then the card balance becomes your problem.
I'm writing is so that anybody dealing with Raise understands... IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT A CARD YOU PURCHASE FROM RAISE CAN BE COMPROMISED BY A PREVIOUS DISHONEST SELLER AT ANY TIME IN THE FUTURE. YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER WHO OWNED THE GIFT CARD PREVIOUSLY. IN MY CASE, THE DISHONEST PREVIOUS OWNER LIKELY COPIED THE GIFT CARD NUMBERS, SOLD THE CARD TO RAISE, WAITED A PERIOD OF TIME, THEN EMPTIED THE BALANCE.
My fault, I guess, for not checking the card balance multiple times before one-year guarantee from Raise expired.
Raise gift card buyers beware."