Californians whose Vanilla gift cards were emptied by unauthorized charges can file by Feb. 19, 2027 for restitution from a $1.525 million fund that San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced on Oct. 23. The claim covers non-reloadable Vanilla cards bought in California, or lawfully received as a gift, between Nov. 1, 2019 and Sept. 30, 2024. A claimant with full proof of the loss can recover up to the whole amount lost, and claims are filed at CAGiftCardSettlement.com or by mail.
“Far too many Californians bought a gift card only to discover that it had already been drained by criminals,” Chiu said in the city attorney’s announcement. The 2023 lawsuit, brought on behalf of the People of California, alleged that Vanilla cards could be tampered with, that criminals accessed card information before purchase and drained balances, and that some cardholders were wrongly denied refunds. InComm Financial Services, the company behind the cards, denies any wrongdoing…