Gift card scams and the requests that give them away

A gift card is meant to be a present. When someone asks you to buy one to pay them, it's a scam. No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.

How it starts

Gift card scams start with a call, text, email or social media message. The story changes, but these are the common ones:

• The government. Someone says they're from the IRS, the Social Security Administration or even the FTC.
• Tech support. Someone says they're from a computer company and something is wrong with your computer.
• A friend or relative in trouble. Someone says they're family with an emergency.
• A prize. You've won, and the fees or charges are paid with a gift card.
• The utility company. Someone threatens to cut off your service.
• A romance. Someone you met on a dating site asks for money.
• A check for too much. Someone sends a check for more than you expected and asks for the difference back on a gift card.

The requests that give it away

Scammers say it's urgent, and that something terrible will happen if you don't pay right away. They don't want you to have time to think. They tell you which gift card to buy and where, and may send you to a specific store.

Then they ask for the card number and PIN. Those numbers let the scammer take the money on the card, so don't give them out or send a photo of the card.

When you buy a gift card as a gift

Stick to stores you know and trust, and avoid online auction sites, where cards may be fake or stolen. Inspect the card before you buy it. Check that the protective stickers are intact and the PIN isn't showing.

If you already paid

Contact the company that issued the card right away, tell it the card was used in a scam, and ask whether it can refund your money. Keep the card and the store receipt.

An annotated example

What to do next

Tell everyone in the household the rule: nobody pays a bill or a fine in gift cards. Keep the receipt with any gift card you buy as a present, until the person has used it.