Introduction

A gift card is a type of payment that can be used at stores, hotels, and other locations. In each card, you load money with temporary linked account information, which you or the gift card recipient can then spend. It is easy to convert gift cards into cash. If once you use the card, the money will automatically gone. Some gift cards are prepaid, which charge a fee to purchase. But even this service is not spared with scams.

What is Gift Card Scam?

In Gift Card Scams, the scammer will tell you that they should be paid in gift vouchers to cure what is going on. They might discourage you from endeavoring to contact the relative to confirm the case. Do not trust them.

How do Gift Card scams work?

Gift card scams start when fraudsters will message, call or email victims and tell them they are in trouble. They claim that victims are not paid their taxes, at the back of their debt payments, and some other methods they used. Scammers threaten victims’ that fulfill their demands, otherwise, they send them to jail. The demand was to buy a gift card or send them an electronic version of the card. Once you provide all the information or send them a gift card, scammers use it to purchase goods with the gift card and victims can be stolen by them.

Some common types of Gift Card scams are:

• Threatened by the IRS:It is one of the easy and most common scams. In this scam, a scammer will contact you by sending an email or call claiming that they working with the IRS. They tell you that you owe some unpaid taxes, and if you don’t pay now, then you will be arrested by IRS. They demand you to pay the tax with a gift card. Never trust these scammers, if you once purchase a gift card, they used them for their own profit.
• Fake prize: Scammers or fraudsters will call or message you that you have an award in a lottery. The award you’ve won maybe a vacation trip, car, cash prize, etc. If you want to claim that prize you have to pay a small amount of fee with a gift card. Don’t trust these fraudsters, otherwise, you will lost the money which you are investing in a gift card.
• Scam by Bot software:Scammers usually use bot software that performs automated tasks to empty the gift card balance of the user. This application is searching for gift cards that have been activated. Scammers use the gift card to buy something for themselves, or they sell the gift card information. At the time of purchase, you realize that the balance of the gift card is nil or the card is useless.

How to avoid Gift Card scams?

• First, check the email address when you get an email for money or other assistance. If you have doubts about the email, log in to your account to confirm the information. If your friend or relative messages you for help to need money, please confirm with the person on a phone call.
• Scammers will often have an address that looks accurate, and they hack the user account and do scams with the user account. Never trust that person who is trying to rush through and ask for money urgently. They are scammers; please verify all the details before making any transaction.