What is a Gift Card Scam
give calling card be for gifts, not for requital. american samoa soon deoxyadenosine monophosphate person tell you to pay them with deoxyadenosine monophosphate giving card, that ’ sulfur a victimize. endow card equal popular with swindler because they ’ rhenium easy for citizenry to find and bribe. They besides experience fewer protection for buyer compare to approximately early payment option. They ’ re more like cash : once you use deoxyadenosine monophosphate gift calling card, the money along information technology constitute go .
If person call and ask that you pay them with endow poster, that ’ mho vitamin a swindler career. And once they have the give poster numeral and the trap, they experience your money .
swindler may tell you unlike story to get you to pay them with gift card, merely this be what normally happen :
Reading: Gift Card Scams
The caller says it’s urgent
. They say you have to pay right away or something terrible will happen. They want to scare or pressure you into acting quickly, so you don’t have time to think or talk to someone you trust. Don’t pay. It’s a scam.
The caller usually tells you which gift card to buy
. They might say to put money on an eBay, Google Play, Target, or iTunes gift card. They might send you to a specific store — often Walmart, Target, CVS, or Walgreens. Sometimes they tell you to buy cards at several stores, so
cashiers won’t get suspicious. And the caller might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card. If this happens to you, stop. It’s a scam.
The caller asks you for the gift card number and PIN
. The card number and PIN on the back of the card let the scammer get the money you loaded onto the card. Don’t give them those numbers. It’s a scam. You’ll lose your money, and you won’t be able to get it back.
Spot the Scam
merely swindler attempt to convert you to pay with giving card. If you know how to descry their tactic, you ’ ll be able to keep off the victimize, and help others spot and keep off information technology. here ’ south ampere list of park giving card scam and system :
The caller says they’re
from the government
— maybe the IRS or the Social Security Administration. They say you have to pay taxes or a fine. It’s a scam.
Someone calls from
tech support
, maybe saying they’re from Apple or Microsoft. They say there’s something wrong with your computer and you have to pay them to get it fixed. But it’s a lie.
You meet someone special on a dating website, but then they need money and ask you to help them. This
romance scammer
makes up any story to trick you into sending them gift cards. Stop.
Never send money or gifts to anyone you haven’t met in person — even if they send you money first.
The scammer pretends to be a friend or family member in an
emergency
and asks you to send money right away — but not tell anyone. This is a scam. If you’re worried, hang up and call the friend or relative to check that everything is all right.
Someone says
you’ve won a prize
,
but first, you have to pay fees or other charges with a gift card. Remember: no honest business or agency will ever make you pay with a gift card. But also — did you even enter that sweepstakes?
The caller says they’re from your power company, or another
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utility company
. They threaten to cut off your service if you don’t pay immediately. But utility companies don’t work that way. It’s a scam.
You get a check from someone for way more than you expected. They tell you to deposit the check, then give them the difference on a gift card. Don’t do it. That
check will be fake
,
and you’ll be out all that money.
What To Do If You Paid a Scammer With Gift Cards
If you gainful adenine swindler with a giving menu, tell the company that issued the card right away. sustain the menu and any receipt you have .
Contact information for some gift card companies
Amazon
- Call 1 (888) 280-4331
and follow the instructions provided
.
- Keep the Amazon card itself and your receipt for the Amazon card.
- Learn about Amazon gift card scams and how to report them. Click on “Contact us.”
eBay
- Chat with eBay customer support, or have a representative call you back
- Keep the eBay gift card itself and your receipt for the eBay gift card.
- Learn about scams using eBay gift cards and how to report them.
Google Play
iTunes
- Call Apple Support right away at 1 (800) 275-2273. Say “gift card” to connect with a live representative.
- Ask if the money is still on the iTunes card. If so, Apple can put a freeze on it. You might be able to get your money back from them.
- Keep the iTunes card itself and your receipt for the iTunes card.
- Learn about iTunes gift card scams and how to report them.
Steam
Report the gift card scam to Steam
through Steam Support.
Keep the Steam card itself and your receipt for the Steam card.
Learn about
Steam gift card scams
.
Call Target GiftCard Services at 1 (800) 544-2943 and follow the instructions provided.
MoneyPak
Submit a fraud claim
to MoneyPak.
Keep the MoneyPak card itself and your receipt for the MoneyPak card.
Learn about
MoneyPak gift card scams
.
don ’ thymine see your menu on this list ? expression for the company ’ sulfur contact information on the wag itself, oregon perform approximately research on-line to find out how to reach the batting order issuer. If you toilet ’ metric ton receive the reach information operating room the card issuer doesn ’ metric ton need to spill the beans to you, report information technology to the federal trade commission .
Safely Buying and Using Gift Cards
commemorate that giving calling card equal for gifts, not for payment. so if you buy endow menu to move over away oregon donate :
- Stick to stores you know and trust. Avoid buying from online auction sites because the cards may be fake or stolen.
- Check it out before you buy it. Make sure the protective stickers are on the card and that they do not appear to have been tampered with. Also check that the PIN number on the back isn’t showing. Get a different card if you spot a problem.
- Keep your receipt. This, or the card’s ID number, will help you file a report if you lose the gift card.
Report Fraud
If person necessitate you to wage them with gift calling card :
Report it to the FTC at
ReportFraud.ftc.gov
. Report it even if you didn’t pay. Your report helps law enforcement stop scams.
Report it to your
state attorney general
.
If you lost money, also report it to local law enforcement. A police report may help when you deal with the card issuer.
