Being trusting and kind are good traits, but scammers like to take advantage of that. It’s important to know when to proceed with caution.
There are already plenty of Costco scams to keep an eye out for, and now online forums suggest another might be emerging. It hinges on Costco members sharing their membership cards.
Of course, even without the possibility of fraud, you shouldn’t let others use your card since Costco’s policy is that you can’t share your membership card. Costco can revoke your membership if they find out you’ve broken this rule.
Their website says:
“Costco reserves the right to refuse membership to any applicant, and membership may be terminated at Costco’s discretion and without cause.”
They also add:
“Membership is subject to any and all rules adopted by Costco, including our privacy policies and practices, and they may be amended from time to time without notice.”
But, aside from the possibility of losing your membership altogether, another consequence is potential fraudulent use of your card.
A Reddit poster recently shared a story that might’ve been just that.
The poster was sitting at a Costco tire center while his car was receiving maintenance. While there, a woman said she didn’t have her Costco membership card and asked if she could use his to buy a battery.
The Redditor declined and told her it was against official policy. She asked the same thing of another customer who came to the tire center, and he also declined to provide a card, stating he didn’t have it with him.
She left after speaking to the tire center sales representative.
Commenters, including one who identified as a Costco employee, speculated that the woman’s plan was likely to use a stolen credit card to purchase the battery under the original poster’s Costco card.
Of course, no one else really knows what the woman’s intent was, but the story is nonetheless another reason to be wary of lending your membership card to others. It’s not worth potentially getting caught up in fraud.
