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related to: what is salemnow gift card scamGift Cards Are Popular With Con Artists and Fraudsters. Learn How Fraudsters Use Gift Cards to Steal From You With Tips and Resources From AARP®.
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- The caller asks you for the gift card number and PIN. The scammer uses that information to get the money you’ve loaded on 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. If you paid a scammer with a gift card, tell the company that issued the card right away.
consumer.ftc.gov › consumer-alerts › 2022’Tis the season to spot and avoid gift card scams | Consumer ...
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Aug 21, 2023 · Did someone tell you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers? That’s a scam. Your money was gone the moment you gave someone those gift card numbers. But now, some gift card companies might be able to get your money back. Gift card scams start with calls, texts, emails, or social media messages. The scammer pretends to be someone they ...
- Overview
- Avoiding a scam
- Fundraiser scams
- How to recoup funds after being conned
- Stay alert
Gift card companies are adding protections for consumers, who are increasingly being duped into sending funds to online scammers through store credit.
In 2022, nearly 65,000 consumers were swindled out of more than $228 million in gift card scams, according to the FTC.
"Did someone tell you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers? That's a scam," the Federal Trade Commission warned in a recent blog post.
The good news is there may be ways for people to recoup funds they have inadvertently funneled into the hands of criminals.
To be sure, it's better to avoid gift card scams in the first place. Fortunately, there are telltale signs that a request for money is coming from a bad actor.
Scammers often start with a demanding phone call, text, email or direct message on a social media platform in which the they'll imitate a legitimate business, charity, or other entity. Sometimes they'll even pose as a friend or family member, according to the FTC's warning.
Most recently, bad actors have been taking advantage of folks looking to contribute to Maui wildfire relief fundraisers. Criminals are seeking donations through phone calls and direct messages to social media. That's why it's important to only contribute through verified organizations.
The FTC also warns consumers never to honor requests for money using gift cards. The agency advises anyone inclined to donate to do so using a credit card.
Those who wish to support Maui residents affected by the fires can help by supporting organizations active in relief efforts.
The American Red Cross, the Hawai'i Community Foundation, Maui United Way and Maui Food Bank are among them. Other organizations, like the Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation, are assisting by taking care of pets whose families have been displaced in the fires.
Gift card issuers are also stepping up efforts to combat this kind of swindle, in some cases enabling consumers to get their card funds back.
"Some gift card companies are flagging fraudulent transactions and freezing stolen gift card money so that scammers can't get it. And those gift card companies want to give that money back," the FTC said in its blog post.
Here are steps, highlighted by the agency, that consumers should take if they suspect they have been conned.
First, report the incident to the gift card issuer, which is usually the company where the card would be redeemed like Amazon, Apple, Target, Walmart and others.
It's important to be alert to tactics scammers use to deceive consumers, such as creating a false sense of urgency, using names that are very similar to legitimate charities, and seeking payment by gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.
"No legitimate sale or transaction will require you to pay specifically with gift cards," the company said in a post highlighting some of scammers' tactics.
Companies are echoing the same warnings as well. Amazon gift cards "should not be used to make payments to other businesses or individuals," Amazon added. The e-commerce site says that any of its gift card consumers who believe they've been scammed should contact its customer protection review team.
Walmart also advises its gift card customers who think they've been the victim of a scam to report the incident to (888) 537-5503.
- Cerullo
- 4 min
- Threatened by the IRS. In one of the more common gift card scams, a criminal will call you or send you a text or email message claiming to be working with the IRS.
- Beware the bots. Gift card scammers often turn to bots — software applications that perform automated tasks online — to drain the gift card balances of unsuspecting consumers.
- The shady cashier. Sometimes a store's cashier is in on the scam. Say you purchase a gift card at a department store. The cashier might activate that gift card but instead of handing it back to you, switches the card with one that hasn't been activated.
- Stealing the numbers. Another popular gift card scam? Thieves, often armed with a magstripe reader that reads the numbers stored in a magnetic stripe on gift cards, grabs handfuls of gift cards from stores such as Walmart or Target.
Dec 21, 2022 · Gift card scams: Act quickly to get money back if balance is zero. Susan Tompor. Detroit Free Press. Would you ever dream of buying a beautiful gift, maybe a cashmere sweater or a diamond...
- Susan Tompor
- Personal Finance Columnist
Feb 16, 2024 · Report it to the gift card company. Contact the gift card company directly and be prepared to share proof of purchase or the numbers on the back of the card to verify your situation. Request your ...
Dec 8, 2021 · December 8, 2021. According to the newest Data Spotlight, 40,000 people reported losing a whopping $148 million in gift cards to scammers during the first nine months of 2021. Those are staggering numbers which have increased each year for the past several years.
