Gift card scams occur when criminals trick people into purchasing gift cards and handing over the codes to steal their money. Scammers may pretend to represent a government agency, a company, a friend, or a family member.
Scammers may:
Knowing the warning signs can help you protect yourself.
A legitimate gift card purchase allows you to buy a card for personal use or give it as a gift. A genuine retailer does not require you to reveal the card's redemption code to an unrelated person to resolve a supposed emergency or debt.
A scammer may claim you owe money, have won a prize, or must urgently help someone you know. They instruct you to buy gift cards and send them the codes or photographs of the cards. Once the codes are redeemed, recovering the money can be difficult.
Remember: gift cards are for purchases from the issuing retailer, not for paying unexpected debts, fines, or strangers.
Scammers use urgency, impersonation, and convincing stories to persuade victims to purchase gift cards and hand over their value. Because gift card codes can often be redeemed quickly, scammers may try to obtain them before the victim realizes what is happening.
You receive a call, text, email, or online message claiming you owe money, have an emergency to resolve, or must pay a fee to receive a reward.
The scammer instructs you to purchase specific gift cards and send photographs of the cards or share their redemption codes. They may pressure you to keep the transaction secret.
The scammer uses the codes to redeem the funds or resell them. They may disappear or invent another reason to demand additional gift cards.
Gift card scams can occur through many channels, including:
Anyone can encounter a gift card scam. Scammers may target people who:
However, it's important to know that anyone can fall victim.
If someone requests gift cards as payment, take these steps:
Being scammed can happen to anyone. Acting quickly may improve the chance of limiting losses, although gift card funds are not always recoverable.
Legitimate organizations do not require retail gift cards to pay taxes, fines, or unexpected debts. If someone claims you must buy gift cards to resolve a government, banking, technical support, or billing problem, treat it as a major warning sign and verify the claim independently.
Recovery can be difficult, but contact the gift card issuer immediately using its official website or phone number. Provide the card details and receipt, and ask whether the balance can be frozen or refunded. If you used a bank account or payment card to purchase the gift cards, contact your financial institution as well.
Their account may have been compromised, or someone may be impersonating them. Before purchasing anything, contact the person using a phone number or communication method you already trust. Be especially cautious if the request involves urgency, secrecy, or sending the redemption codes.
