Gift Card Scams: 10 Tricks Scammers Use This Holiday Season (and How to Stop Them)

Gift card scams spike every holiday season, when millions of people are buying cards anyway and scammers can hide in the rush. The trick is always the same at its core: someone convinces you to load money onto a gift card and hand over the numbers, or steals the value before you or your loved one can spend it. This guide walks through the 10 tricks scammers use most, based on warnings from the FTC and the gift card companies themselves, and exactly what to do if it happens to you.

Quick answer: Gift cards are for gifts, only gifts. The FTC says “no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.” If anyone asks you to pay with a gift card or read out the numbers on the back, it is a scam: hang up. If you already paid, contact the gift card company right away, ask for your money back and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Why scammers love gift cards

Once a scammer has a gift card’s number and PIN, they can spend the money even if you are still holding the card, as the FTC points out. Unlike a card payment, there is usually no chargeback, and gift cards are sold everywhere, so it is easy to send a victim to the nearest store. Card issuers such as Apple and Google state plainly that their gift cards can only be used in their own stores, never to pay taxes, bills, bail or government fees.

10 gift card scams to watch for

1. The fake government call

A caller claims to be from a government agency and says you owe taxes, a fine or a debt, often threatening arrest or seizure if you don’t pay today with gift cards. Google’s help page for Play gift card scams describes exactly this pattern, and Apple notes its cards can’t pay taxes, immigration or Social Security fees. No government agency takes payment in gift cards.

2. The “tech support” fix

A pop-up, call or message says your computer is infected and offers to fix it for a fee paid in gift cards. The FTC lists tech support among the most common stories. Target’s fraud team warns that these callers may also ask to remote into your device. Never let a stranger who contacted you access your computer.

3. The family emergency, now with AI voices

Someone calls pretending to be a grandchild, child or friend in trouble, or a lawyer acting for them, and begs for gift cards to sort it out. The FTC warns that “thanks to AI voice cloning, they might even sound just like” the person they are pretending to be. They often tell you not to call anyone else. Hang up and call your relative on a number you already know. Our guide to AI scams explains voice-clone calls in more detail.

4. Your “boss” needs a favour

An urgent text or email from your “boss” asks you to buy gift cards for a client or staff event and send the codes. The FTC says these messages may even call them “Google certificates” to avoid suspicion. Check with your manager through a number or email you already know is real, never by replying to the message.

5. You’ve won a prize, but there’s a fee

A message says you won a sweepstakes, lottery or giveaway, but you must pay a fee or taxes upfront with gift cards to claim it. Real prizes never ask you to pay to collect them.

6. The utility shut-off threat

A caller says your power, gas or water will be cut off within the hour unless you pay with gift cards. Target’s fraud team lists utility shut-off threats among the stories scammers use to rush people. Hang up and call the number on your actual bill.

7. Tampered cards on the store rack

This one targets the gift you buy, not you. Thieves take unactivated cards from the rack, open the packaging to copy the number and PIN, reseal it and put it back. When you load money onto the card, they drain it. Target calls this tampering or draining and says to look for torn or cut packaging edges, extra glue, and stretched or torn holograms and stickers. If anything looks altered, don’t buy it.

8. Fake balance-check websites

Scammers set up look-alike sites that offer to check your gift card balance and simply collect the number and access code you type in. Target calls these scammers “harvesters”. Only check a balance on the card company’s own website or app, reached by typing the address yourself, and look closely at the web address before entering anything.

9. “Free gift card” phishing emails and texts

Messages promising a free gift card in return for a quick survey or your details are a classic phishing lure. The FTC says not to click links in these texts or emails. See how to spot a fake phishing email before you click anything.

10. “Stay on the line while you buy”

In many of these scams the caller tells you exactly which cards to buy and at which store, and stays on the phone while you load them, so you have no time to think or ask anyone. The FTC notes that “scammers rush you because they don’t want you to have time to think.” If a caller insists you keep them on the line at the checkout, that alone tells you it’s a scam.

Red flags at a glance

How to buy and give gift cards safely this holiday season

• Inspect the packaging before you buy, and ask a store employee for help if anything looks off.
• Keep the receipt and the card (or a photo of both) until the recipient has used it. The FTC says copies of the card and store receipt give you the best chance of getting money back.
• Check the balance soon after buying on the issuer’s official site, so you catch a drained card quickly.
• Give e-gift cards from the official store where possible, so the code goes straight to your recipient.
• Warn older relatives. The family-emergency and government-call scams often target them, so share this rule: gift cards are only for gifts.
• Cut down scam calls with your phone’s built-in tools. Our guide shows how to block spam calls on iPhone.

What to do if you’ve been scammed

1. Act fast and keep the card and receipt. The sooner you report, the better your chance of getting money back, according to the FTC.
2. Contact the gift card company. Tell them the card was used in a scam and ask for your money back; the FTC says some companies may refund it, so always ask. The FTC keeps a list of how to contact gift card companies at ftc.gov/giftcards. For Apple gift cards, Apple says to contact Apple Support or call 800-275-2273 in the US and say “gift cards”. For Google Play cards, Google’s help page has a report form, which must be filed by the person affected.
3. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It doesn’t matter how long ago it happened.
4. Report it to your local police, as Google and Target both advise, especially if you were threatened.
5. Secure your accounts if you shared any passwords, bank details or let someone onto your computer: change passwords, call your bank and run a security scan.

FAQ

Can you get your money back from a gift card scam?

Sometimes. Contact the gift card company as quickly as possible with the card and receipt and ask for a refund. The FTC says some companies are helping stop these scams and may return your money, but it is not guaranteed.

Can gift card scams be traced?

Report it anyway. The gift card company has the card’s records, and your reports to the FTC and local police help build cases against scam operations. The FTC says your report “helps protect people in your community”, even if the money is already gone.

Why do scammers ask for gift cards?

Because the money can be spent as soon as they have the card number and PIN, it is hard to reverse, and gift cards are easy to buy in any store.

Is it safe to give the numbers on the back of a gift card?

Only to the person you are giving the gift to. Apple’s advice is not to share the numbers with anyone you don’t know well or haven’t met, and Google says never to share the code on the back.

Are store gift card racks safe?

Mostly, but check the packaging for tears, cuts, glue or damaged holograms before buying, and check the balance soon after you load it.