Gift card payment requests are always a scam

What it can look like

Red flags

• Anyone asks you to pay with gift cards, for any reason.
• They tell you which store to go to and which cards to buy.
• They ask for photos of the back of the cards, or for you to read the numbers out.
• They tell you not to tell the cashier, or to stay on the phone while you buy.

What to do

1. Stop. Don’t buy the cards. Hang up or close the message.
2. If you’re worried about a real bill or account, call the company using the number on your statement.
3. If a store cashier asks whether someone told you to buy the cards, tell them. They’re trained to help.

If you already paid, clicked or shared a code

Don’t panic, and don’t blame yourself. Act quickly, one step at a time.

• Call the company that issued the card right away, using the number on the back. Tell them it was used in a scam and ask for a refund.
• Keep the cards and the receipts. You’ll need them.
• Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• If the scammer calls back for “more fees” or to “refund” you, hang up. It’s the same scam.

How Gmork Scam Guard helps

Gmork Scam Guard notices gift card buy and send pages, and messages that ask you to pay with gift cards. It can hold the buy button and show a warning while you decide. It can’t see what happens on the phone or in a store, so the rule above still matters most.

See what Gmork Scam Guard warns about and what it keeps private.

Questions people ask

Is it ever safe to pay a business with a gift card?

Only for a gift card from that same store, used at that store. Paying a person or a company you don’t know with gift cards is how scams work.

Can the money on a gift card be traced or returned?

Sometimes, if you contact the card company quickly. That’s why calling them right away matters.