(ABC 6 News) — It’s worse than a lump of coal.

Kim Harris sent her loved ones two, $50 cards, but at checkout they were told there’s a zero balance.

“They were like, we’re sorry, there’s nothing here,” Harris said. “So, I was embarrassed for her because I was like, no, this is terrible.”

It’s called the drain scam.

Last year, 41,632 cases of gift card draining were reported. This resulted in a loss of $217 million.

Crooks go to a store, copy the card number and activation code, then reseal the package. When you load money on the card – it goes to Scrooge.

“Yes, it was only one hundred dollars, but it could have been five hundred dollars,” Harris said.

Before you buy, inspect the card, said Melanie McGovern with Better Business Bureau.

“Run your finger over the card,” McGovern said. “Does it look like a sticker has been put over the barcode? Does it look like the package was opened and maybe glued back together?”

Buy gift cards from behind the counter or buy a virtual gift card. And if you receive a gift card, use it as soon as possible.

Attention online shoppers! As you scroll through social media, some deals might seem too good to be true.

“Passive scrolling is the biggest way people lose money on social media,” McGovern said. “Take the name of the website into any search engine or into bbb.org and type in the word fraud, scam or review and see what people are saying about it off the social media site.”

Watch out for the delivery text scam. It looks like the post office is saying there’s a problem with your upcoming delivery.

Do not click on that link! Swindlers hope you’ll plug in your credit card information.

Finally, it’s the season to give, but make sure you’re donating to a real charity! You can check Charity Navigator and Give.org to confirm the charity you choose is making the best use of your money.