Moultrie police say the people in these two security camera images were able to link gift cards at Wal-Mart to their own accounts so that when customers bought them, the money was credited to the scammers. If you know who either of these people are, please call the police department at (229) 890-5449.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A pair of suspects has found that there is something other than lottery tickets that can be scratched — and these offer a much higher winning percentage.

Their gain, however, is someone else’s loss as it is a scam whereby store gift cards are credited to a thief’s account.

“They’ve been going into Wal-Mart, taking Wal-Mart gift cards and scratching off the adhesive” to reveal the PIN or card number, said Moultrie Police Department Sgt. Shavarye Anderson.

They then link the pin or account number to a walmart.com account, he said, and place another piece of adhesive over the numbers.

“When the customer buys and activates the cards the money goes to the scammer,” Anderson said.

Two people reported to Moultrie police last week being victims of the scheme.

Police ask anyone with information about the scam to contact investigators at (229) 890-5449. Callers can leave information anonymously.

To prevent falling victim, Anderson recommended shoppers check any gift card.

“Be careful that the PIN number is not exposed and that the card has not been altered,” he said.