In the first nine months of 2021, over twice as much money was reported lost on Target gift cards than any other brand. Whatever the story, reports show that scammers don’t settle for just any card – they tell people the specific gift card brands to buy. Reports also show that scammers asking for gift cards pretend to be a love interest, employer, sweepstakes or lottery company, or family member in trouble. They’re told to buy gift cards to avoid arrest or to secure access to their money. Other people report that a scammer claiming to be the Social Security Administration said their bank accounts would be frozen as part of an investigation. Sometimes they call those numbers “security codes.” But the only thing the numbers are good for is taking the money on the card. 5 Many people report that a scammer posing as Amazon or Apple told them to send pictures of the numbers on gift cards to fix a supposed security problem with their account. Scammers can get quick cash, the transaction is largely irreversible, and they can remain anonymous.Īccording to reports received by the FTC, scams demanding gift cards most often start with a phone call from someone impersonating a well-known business or government authority. Scammers favor gift cards because they are easy for people to find and buy, and they have fewer protections for buyers compared to some other payment options. And because the vast majority of frauds are not reported to the government, this reflects only a fraction of the harm these scams cause.

3 In the first nine months of 2021 alone, nearly 40,000 people reported $148 million stolen using gift cards. 1 Gift cards are far more frequently reported than any other payment method for fraud, 2 and the numbers have reached staggering new highs compared to past years.

About one in four people who report losing money to fraud say it happened when a scammer tricked them into giving the numbers on the back of a gift card. Reports to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel show they’re also an easy way to take.

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