If the gift card you’re about to buy isn’t for a gift, put it down and walk away, the Federal Trade Commission warns.
If someone on the phone with you as you’re checking out is telling you what to do -- like buy a gift card to pay for something and give them the numbers, it’s a SCAM.
Gift cards should only be for gifts.
So if the card you’re buying isn’t for someone’s birthday, anniversary, or another gift-giving reason, don’t do it!
Gift card scammers only want your money. Here’s how they operate:
First they’ll call, text, email, or send a social media message. Then comes a made-up story: They’re from the government (pay taxes or a fine), tech support (something’s wrong with your computer -- pay to fix it), or you’ve won a prize (but pay for it first.)
Other scammers might use AI voice cloning to sound like a family member in trouble. It’s always urgent. They always want you to act fast or something bad will happen. And it’s always a scam.
Think you gave gift card numbers to a scammer? Act fast. Grab your gift card and the gift card receipt. Then,
- Report the gift card scam to the gift card company. It doesn’t matter when the scam happened. Use this How To Contact Gift Card Companies list to report it.
- Ask for your money back. Some companies are helping stop gift card scams and might give your money back. Always ask.
- Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report makes a difference and helps protect people in your community from fraud and scams.
Remember: gift cards are ONLY for gifts. If it’s for anything else, like to pay to fix any problem for ANY reason, it’s a scam.
Visit ftc.gov/gift cards to learn more. Share this information with your friends, family, and community to help stop gift card scams.