Vanilla Gift Card $1.53M California Restitution Settlement, Who Can Claim and How Much?

California residents who lost money from a non-reloadable Vanilla Gift Card to unauthorized transactions may qualify for a payment from a $1,525,000 restitution fund funded by InComm Financial Services, the company behind Vanilla Gift Cards.

Claim deadline: February 19, 2027. A Claim Form and sworn Attestation are required. Supporting proof is optional, but it can raise your payment.

Official settlement website: CAGiftCardSettlement.com Online claim form: Submit a claim through Verita

Quick answer:

• Who: California residents who bought, or were given, a non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Card purchased in California between November 1, 2019 and September 30, 2024, and lost money to unauthorized transactions believed to result from packaging tampering.
• How much: full reported loss with complete proof; up to 75% with incomplete proof; up to $15 per card (maximum two cards, $30) with no proof.
• Not automatic: you must file a claim.

Important: this is a California government restitution program, not a conventional private class action. The case is People of the State of California v. InComm Financial Services, Inc., et al., No. CGC-23-610333, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. It was brought by the People of California through the San Francisco City Attorney.

Vanilla Gift Card $1.525 Million Settlement: Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Restitution fund	$1,525,000
Company funding the fund	InComm Financial Services, Inc.
Product	Non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Cards
Plaintiff	People of the State of California, through the San Francisco City Attorney
Case number	CGC-23-610333
Court	Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
Original complaint filed	November 9, 2023
Covered purchase period	November 1, 2019 to September 30, 2024
Who can claim	California residents; card purchased in California
Gift recipients eligible?	Yes, if the card was purchased in California in the covered period
Official settlement website	CAGiftCardSettlement.com
Official claim form	Online claim portal (Verita)
Claim form required?	Yes, plus a sworn Attestation
Proof required?	No, but proof can increase payment
Complete proof	Full reported lost funds
Incomplete proof	Up to 75% of reported loss
No proof	Up to 15percard,maximumtwocards(30)
Already refunded by InComm?	Cannot claim the same money again
Claims open	October 23, 2026
Claim deadline	February 19, 2027 (online, or postmarked by this date)
Estimated payment date	Approximately June 19, 2027
Administrator	Verita Global
Phone / email	1-888-808-2479 / [email protected]

Simple Claim Checklist

Run through this before you file:

• [ ] I am a California resident.
• [ ] The card is a non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Card.
• [ ] It was purchased in California between Nov. 1, 2019 and Sept. 30, 2024 (by me, or by the person who gave it to me).
• [ ] Some or all of the balance was spent by transactions I did not authorize.
• [ ] I believe the loss came from someone tampering with the card packaging.
• [ ] InComm has not already refunded this money.
• [ ] I have the card’s 11-digit serial number and 16-digit card number.
• [ ] I have my purchase receipt, photos of the front and back of the card, and the card’s transaction history, if available.
• [ ] I have any refund-request claim number and InComm’s reply, if I asked for a refund.
• [ ] I have chosen how to be paid: Venmo, PayPal or check (online filers), or check only (mail filers).
• [ ] I will file by February 19, 2027.

Who Qualifies for the Vanilla Gift Card Restitution Fund?

You may qualify if all of the following are true:

1. You are a California resident.
2. You bought a non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Card in California between November 1, 2019 and September 30, 2024, or you received (or lawfully acquired) a card that someone bought in California in that period.
3. You could not use some or all of the balance because of unauthorized transactions.
4. You believe the unauthorized transactions resulted from someone accessing the card information by tampering with its packaging.
5. InComm has not already refunded the lost money.

Buying a Vanilla card in the covered period is not enough on its own. The claim must involve unauthorized transactions believed to come from packaging tampering, and the loss must not already have been refunded.

Can you claim if the card was a gift?

Yes. You do not have to be the original buyer. If a California-purchased card was given to you and the other requirements are met, you may qualify, even without the store receipt. The receipt matters for the higher documented payment but is not mandatory for every claim.

Does the card have to be purchased in California?

Yes. The card must have been purchased in California during the covered period, and the claimant must be a California resident. A California resident who bought the card in another state, or a non-resident who bought it at a California store, does not meet the stated requirements.

Are reloadable Vanilla cards included?

The notice covers non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Cards. Do not assume other prepaid products with the Vanilla name qualify.

What if InComm already refunded part of the loss?

You cannot claim money InComm already refunded. If only part of the loss was refunded, the unreimbursed portion may still be claimable, and the administrator will evaluate it using your information and the company’s records. If InComm denied your refund request, you may still qualify if you meet the other requirements.

Why Is There a Vanilla Gift Card Settlement?

The San Francisco City Attorney filed the lawsuit in November 2023. The complaint alleged that some non-reloadable Vanilla Gift Cards, sold in cardboard sleeves, could be opened, have their information copied, and be resealed without obvious signs of tampering. After a customer bought and loaded the card, criminals could allegedly spend the balance.

The complaint also alleged that InComm sometimes denied refunds, including where theft was reported more than 60 days after the transactions or where the company determined the card had been present for the transaction. It sought relief under California’s Unfair Competition Law (Business and Professions Code § 17200), including injunctive relief and civil penalties.

These are allegations, not findings that every Vanilla Gift Card was tampered with. InComm denies the allegations, and the settlement is not a court finding of liability.

Is this a class action?

Not in the usual sense. The plaintiff is the People of California, acting through the San Francisco City Attorney, not a private consumer representing a certified class. The notice does not describe a typical class-action opt-out and objection process. It tells qualifying people to file a Claim Form and Attestation.

The City Attorney’s Office represents the People, not individual cardholders, and does not give personal legal advice to claimants.

How Much Can You Receive?

Your potential payment depends mainly on the documentation you submit.

Documentation	Potential payment
Complete Proof of Claim	Full value of lost funds reported for each eligible card
Incomplete Proof of Claim	Up to 75% of reported lost funds
No Proof of Claim	Up to 15percard,maximumtwocards(30)

Complete proof: full amount lost

For each card, complete proof includes the purchase receipt; photos of the front and back of the card; the card’s transaction history with the unauthorized transactions identified (available through the VanillaGift balance website); and, if you asked InComm for a refund, documentation of your request and InComm’s response. There is no stated limit on the number of cards you can claim with proof, but each card can be claimed only once.

Incomplete proof: up to 75%

If you are missing some documents, still submit what you have. Claims with incomplete proof can qualify for up to 75% of the reported loss, depending on the documentation. This is a maximum, not a guarantee.

No proof: up to $15 per card

A valid claim without proof may qualify for up to $15 per card. You can submit no more than two no-proof claims, so the maximum no-proof payment is $30. You can claim additional cards if you provide proof for them. These payments may be reduced if the money allocated to no-proof claims falls short.

Will the full $1.525 million go to consumers?

No. The fund is a total, not an equal share for each claimant. Payments are made in this order:

1. Administration costs.
2. Claims with complete Proof of Claim.
3. Claims with incomplete Proof of Claim.
4. Claims with no Proof of Claim.

If the fund cannot cover every allocation, payments on no-proof claims are reduced proportionally; claims with proof are not affected by that reduction. Any money left after valid claims and administration costs goes to the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office for future consumer-protection work.

How to File a Vanilla Gift Card Claim

You must submit a Claim Form and a separate Attestation. Use the official online claim form or mail a printed form.

Step 1: Confirm eligibility

Use the checklist above. If the card was a gift, confirm it was originally purchased in California during the covered period.

Step 2: Gather your information

The Claim Form asks for:

• Your full name, phone number, email and current address (plus your address at the time of purchase, if different)
• The card’s original stated value
• Approximate purchase date and location
• The amount lost to unauthorized transactions
• The 11-digit serial number on the back of the card
• The 16-digit card number
• Your refund-request claim number, if you previously asked InComm for a refund

If the 16-digit number was scratched off or altered when you opened the card, the official FAQ allows you to submit a statement explaining this, along with photos of the front and back of the altered card.

Step 3: Complete the Attestation

Every valid claim needs an Attestation, signed under penalty of perjury. You affirm that you bought or lawfully received an eligible card, tried to use it or check its balance, found that unauthorized transactions used some or all of the money, believe the loss resulted from packaging tampering, and have not been refunded by InComm. Use accurate amounts and dates. Do not guess.

Step 4: Add proof if you have it

Upload your receipt, card photos, transaction history and any refund correspondence. Submit whatever you have, even if it is not the complete set.

Step 5: Submit

File online through the Verita portal, or mail the printed Claim Form and any documents to:

Gift Card Claims Administrator P.O. Box 301132 Los Angeles, CA 90030-1132

For mailed claims, the postmark date counts.

Deadlines and Payment Timeline

Event	Date
Restitution notice dated	October 13, 2026
Claims open	October 23, 2026
Claims close	February 19, 2027 (mail must be postmarked by this date)
Estimated payment date	About June 19, 2027
City Attorney destroys InComm-sourced claim data	By August 18, 2027

The administrator will not review late claims, and there is no automatic payment for people who do not file. The June 19, 2027 date is an estimate. Before paying, the City Attorney and Verita will review and verify claims and calculate each payment under the allocation rules.

How will you be paid?

How you file	Payment options
Online	Venmo, PayPal or mailed check
By mail	Mailed check only

Make sure your account details or mailing address are accurate. The notice warns that payment will not be made without correct information.

Will InComm See Your Information?

Yes. The City Attorney and Verita will use the information and documents you submit to decide eligibility, and the notice says they may share them with InComm so the company can compare your claim to its own records. By filing, you authorize that sharing and authorize InComm to give the City Attorney and administrator relevant card and transaction information.

The notice also says claim information may be subject to California’s Public Records Act and San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance, though the City Attorney’s Office generally invokes exceptions to withhold personal contact details and sensitive financial information. The City Attorney will destroy the claim information it obtained from InComm within 180 days after the claims period ends, no later than August 18, 2027.

What If You Do Not Qualify?

If you do not meet the criteria or prefer not to file, the official FAQ says you may still seek a refund directly from InComm through its fraud-redress process, described on the Vanilla Gift website. You cannot claim again any funds InComm already refunded. Keep records of your refund request, InComm’s response and the disputed transactions.

Beware of Settlement Scams

Use only the official website, claim portal and contact details listed in this article. You should not need to pay anyone to file, and the administrator will not ask for your full card PIN or online banking login. If a message about this settlement asks for payment or unusual personal information, contact the administrator before responding.

Did InComm Admit Wrongdoing?

No. The notice states InComm denies the allegations. The fund lets qualifying cardholders be compensated without further litigation to a final decision. It is not a court finding that InComm intentionally allowed gift card theft or that every Vanilla Gift Card was vulnerable.

Related Consumer Payment Cases on AllAboutLawyer

If you follow payment-card and consumer-fraud cases, you may also want to read about the Hustler Hollywood $1.53M FACTA settlement over card digits on receipts, the T-Mobile class action over a $200 gift card promotion, and the Bank of America $2M settlement over unauthorized debit card and ATM disputes. These are separate cases with different companies, legal issues and eligibility rules. They do not share the Vanilla Gift Card fund.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the $1.53 million Vanilla Gift Card settlement real?

Yes. InComm Financial Services agreed to fund a $1,525,000 restitution program resolving a lawsuit brought by the People of California through the San Francisco City Attorney, No. CGC-23-610333.

Who can claim?

California residents who bought, or received as a gift, a non-reloadable Vanilla Prepaid Gift Card purchased in California between Nov. 1, 2019 and Sept. 30, 2024, lost money to unauthorized transactions believed to result from packaging tampering, and were not already refunded.

How much can I get?

Full reported loss with complete proof, up to 75% with incomplete proof, or up to $15 per card (maximum two cards, $30) with no proof. Amounts depend on claim review and the fund’s allocation.

Do I need a receipt?

No, but a receipt is part of a complete Proof of Claim and can help you qualify for a higher payment. You must still file the Claim Form and Attestation.

Can I claim more than two cards?

Yes, if you provide Proof of Claim for the additional cards. The two-card limit applies only to claims without proof.

What if I no longer have the card?

The form asks for the 11-digit serial number and 16-digit card number. If the number was scratched off or altered, you can submit an explanation and photos of the front and back. Contact the administrator if you cannot provide the card details.

Can I claim if InComm denied my refund?

Potentially, yes. The restriction applies to money InComm already refunded. Keep your refund-request number and correspondence.

Can I choose PayPal or Venmo?

Yes, if you file online. Mailed claims are paid by check only.

Is the settlement automatic?

No. You must submit a Claim Form and Attestation by February 19, 2027.

Are settlement payments taxable?

Tax treatment depends on your situation. AllAboutLawyer.com does not give tax advice, so consult a qualified tax professional.

How to Contact the Administrator

The administrator is Verita Global.

• Website: CAGiftCardSettlement.com
• Phone: 1-888-808-2479
• Email: [email protected]
• Mail: Gift Card Claims Administrator, P.O. Box 301132, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1132

Contact the administrator, not the court, with claim questions.

Sources

1. Official settlement website: https://www.cagiftcardsettlement.com/
2. Notice of Vanilla Gift Card Restitution Fund, dated October 13, 2026: https://www.cagiftcardsettlement.com/media/7550758/2026-10-13_sfcao_-restitution_notice-_final_w_dates_v2.pdf
3. Official FAQ: https://www.cagiftcardsettlement.com/frequently-asked-questions.aspx
4. Case documents page: https://www.cagiftcardsettlement.com/case-documents.aspx
5. Online claim portal (Verita): https://veritaconnect.com/CAGiftCardSettlement/Claimant
6. Original complaint, People of the State of California v. InComm Financial Services, Inc., et al., No. CGC-23-610333, filed November 9, 2023: https://www.cagiftcardsettlement.com/media/7550764/2023-11-09_complaint.pdf
7. Official contact page: https://www.cagiftcardsettlement.com/contact-us.aspx
8. Vanilla Gift card balance and transaction history site: https://balance.vanillagift.com/
9. Vanilla Gift website (InComm fraud-redress information): https://www.vanillagift.com/

Verification note: The official restitution notice and FAQ were reviewed for eligibility, deadline, payment formula, proof requirements and estimated payment date, and the original complaint for the allegations on packaging and refund practices. InComm denies the allegations. The program is a government restitution fund, not a conventional private class action. The $1,525,000 figure is the total fund, from which administration costs and qualifying payments are allocated, not an equal payment to every claimant.

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, Legal Content Researcher. AllAboutLawyer.com is an independent U.S. consumer legal information website, not a law firm. This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Eligibility and payment amounts are determined by the official settlement terms and claims review.