$350 Stolen From My Disney Gift Card After Using It At Trader Sam’s – Has Anyone Dealt With This?

Location: Disneyland

I’m hoping someone here has experienced something similar...

I bought a Disney gift card on Walt Disney World property months ago and have used it on multiple trips without any issues. It’s been sitting in my desk for over six months.

Last week, before heading to Disneyland, I loaded nearly $1,000 onto it to use during our trip.

The only time the card left my hand was when I paid a bill at Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel.

The next morning, over $350 was charged to the gift card inside Disneyland Park. The problem is, I didn’t even have tickets to Disneyland that day. We were going to California Adventure.

It appears someone took a photo of the gift card number and used it to make purchases. The transactions were made at small pin shops in the park, and from what I was told, the cashier was able to scan the barcode from a phone.

I called the gift card number immediately and got timestamps for every transaction. The next day, when I had tickets to Disneyland Park, I went to the stores where the purchases were made. The leads there were helpful and printed the receipts tied to my card.

I was told the purchases were made using a Magic Key pass. I’ve heard Disney can track exactly who made purchases tied to a specific pass. Is that accurate?

I’ve filed a police report and spoke with security, the restaurant manager, and the Disneyland Hotel manager. At this point, communication from Disney has been inconsistent, and I have no clear timeline on whether or when I’ll be reimbursed.

If this ends up being a cast member or someone directly connected to the property, I’m honestly disappointed in how the customer communication side has been handled so far.

Also, I had no idea balances are printed on receipts for cashiers to see. That feels like an unnecessary risk.

Yes, lesson learned. I’ll be using room charges going forward. But I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s dealt with Disney gift card fraud and how it was resolved.