Gift Card Scammers Are Still at Work!

Do you like gift cards?

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that Americans lost at least $217 million to gift card scams just last year. According to a report at Axios, these scams start with texts from people pretending to be tech support, your boss, the government, or a wrong number. The conversation leads to someone asking the victim to buy gift cards on their behalf and sending the barcode number to them via text. The elderly, less-tech-savvy people, the lonely, and those who work at home are usually the targets. These thieves even prey on children.

Gift cards give access to money that’s difficult to trace. The AARP or American Association of Retired Persons, receives around 100,000 gift card scam phone calls to its helpline every year. Scammers use Apple gift cards to buy and resell Apple products. Google Play Store gift cards are used to purchase cryptocurrencies or they’re sold at a discount online. Sometimes criminals gain barcode information and steal the funds without actually taking the card. Walmart is cracking down by creating a database that tracks where a card was purchased, spent, and how quickly it was used. If a card moves too fast, the account is frozen. Walmart gift cards no longer work outside the U.S. They’ve partnered with the FBI, Secret Service, and local law enforcement to identify these scammers. So be skeptical of anyone that asks you to send them a gift card!

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