ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

How to Protect Yourself From Gift Card Scams in 2024

This scam involves a phishing email that looks genuine and creates an emotional connection with the user targeting their family and friends.
UPDATED FEB 19, 2024
Cover Image Source: An Amazon gift card featuring the Amazon logo | Getty Images | Photo by Smith Collection
Cover Image Source: An Amazon gift card featuring the Amazon logo | Getty Images | Photo by Smith Collection

In today's world of online shopping and swift transactions, gift cards have become a popular way to give and receive presents for special occasions. The increasing trend of sharing gift cards has also attracted scammers who are just keeping an eye out to smoothly take advantage of people. The appeal of a quick and simple gift has led to a tricky gift card scam that puts people at risk of losing money. Scammers with their deceptive tricks create an emotional connection with the users to steal their money.

Gift card is an innovative and cute replacement for giving a gift or cash. People also use occasion tags to make it more fancy and appealing.|Pexels|Photo by Karolina Grabowska
Gift card is an innovative and cute replacement for giving a gift or cash. | Pexels | Photo by Karolina Grabowska

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning the general public about a clever gift card scam that trapped even its people. This scam involves a phishing email that looks genuine and creates an emotional connection with the user targeting their family and friends.

The email sender or the scammer pretends to be a family member or a close one sending the email in a pretty casual and friendly tone. Most of the emails start with a greeting like, “Hi, How are you? Are you busy? and then it creates a curiosity ending in an emergency with the message 'I need a quick favor”, and it even concludes with a “Sent from my iPhone” tag to make it look more real. And just in case, the person falls into the emotional drama and asks 'What happened'? the scammer explains the whole story of how he/she is getting a gift card for a cousin's birthday but is not able to pay due to server or bank issues. Once the scammer senses that you are convinced, they ask you to buy a gift card from any nearby store and promise to pay it back. Once you purchase the gift card and send the back photo or the PIN, they gain access, withdraw the cash, and disappear.

Paying money for someone else's gift card is not how it works. Never do it|Pexels|Photo by Cottonbro Studio
Paying money for someone else's gift card is not how it works |Pexels | Photo by Cottonbro Studio

The BBB alerts online users and asks them to be extra cautious while purchasing a gift card as it might be a scam. Furthermore, to recover money in this scam is almost impossible as the users themselves have purchased the gift card and have to take responsibility for their transactions. The only thing users can do is take extra precautions and safety measures when they are transacting through online payments and ensure that the receiver is legit and not a scammer.

Follow These Rules to Avoid Falling In Gift Card Scam

1. Don't blindly trust calls, messages, or emails.

2. If the scammer pretends to be your friend, call that friend personally and ask if he needs such a thing.

3. Even if you get into buying gift cards, purchase them from the official website as it becomes difficult for scammers to access.

4. Don't buy gift cards that have easy to peel scanner or PIN.

5. In case you get scammed, immediately report your case to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Stay safe from the gift card scam penetrating everywhere|Pexels|Dan Nelson
Stay safe from the gift card scam | Pexels | Dan Nelson

6. Contact the gift card company in case of scams. 

7. Try to retrieve your money that has been lost to scammers. 

8. If you receive a gift card, change the PIN as soon as you get home near your device. 

9. Always install good anti-virus software and strong passwords on your device to avoid being a victim of cybercrimes.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The man from New Jersey who was looking to save a few bucks, didn't know what luck had in store for him.
4 hours ago
In 2004, Ashley Revell from London won $270,000 in one of the most stunning events in gambling history.
9 hours ago
One of the rarest Rolex watches in the world was kept in a safety deposit for decades, unworn.
12 hours ago
The "Rolling Stones" singer said leaving a part of the inheritance might "do some good in the world."
13 hours ago
Inititally, reports claimed that it sold for $1.8 million which changed as the the dust cleared up.
16 hours ago
The number was so large that it didn't even fit on a single line on the document.
17 hours ago
Her new properties were estimated to be worth around $50 million.
1 day ago
He sued the lottery company for breach of contract, gross negligence and the infliction of emotional distress among other claims.
1 day ago
As of 2024, the iconic West Coast rapper is worth well over $160 million.
1 day ago
Taylor never knew he had won because the slot machine had malfunctioned.
1 day ago
"People were super welcoming and everyone wanted to have a coffee with me," she talked about the residents.
2 days ago
“It’s challenging, being an inventor,” Catherine Hettinger said.
2 days ago
The Facebook listing from is a contender for the weirdest rent agreement in history.
2 days ago
The "Bullet Train" actor made an unusual arrangement with the old widower.
2 days ago
He found the gold coin from the "world's most valuable shipwreck."
3 days ago
The man even promised that he would make them $96 billion in profits.
3 days ago
She has starred in classic films such as "Sixteen Candles", "The Lost Boys", and "Twister".
3 days ago
There are ways to claim dependents for certain people in your life, including your boyfriend. The IRS has four factor that must be met. We have all the details.
4 days ago
Following the incident, Brad Pitt's representative has issued a warning to all fans.
4 days ago
While five transactions were worth about $80 million, one payment order worth $20 million didn't clear.
4 days ago