Someone Wants Gift Cards. What Should I Do?
If someone unexpectedly asks you to buy gift cards and send them the card numbers or pictures of the cards, treat it as a scam warning.
Scams & Online Safety
Legitimate businesses, banks, government agencies, and Microsoft do not normally require you to buy gift cards and give the caller the card numbers. Gift cards are attractive to scammers because once the numbers are shared, the money can be difficult to recover.
What’s happening?
If someone unexpectedly asks you to buy gift cards and send them the card numbers or pictures of the cards, treat it as a scam warning. Legitimate businesses, banks, government agencies, and technical-support companies do not require gift cards as payment for a problem they claim to be fixing.
How these scams work
- A fake emergency involving a family member
- A scammer pretending to be a bank, government agency, or company
- A fake job, prize, or refund offer
- A caller using pressure or threats to prevent you from checking the story
What you should do
- Stop and slow down — Do not let an urgent story force you into making a purchase. Hang up or stop replying if you feel pressured.
- Do not send the gift-card number or PIN — A photo of the card, receipt, or redemption code can give the scammer what they need. Do not send it by text, email, or phone.
- Verify the story independently — If someone claims to be a relative, bank, business, or government agency, contact that organization or person using a phone number you already trust.
- If you already bought a card, contact the card company — Keep the card and receipt. Contact the gift-card issuer through its official customer-service information and explain what happened.
- Tell someone you trust — Scams work better when victims are isolated. A trusted family member, friend, bank employee, or local technology professional can help you slow down and assess the situation.
Stop here
If you already gave the scammer the gift-card number, act quickly. Do not buy additional cards to 'fix' the situation and do not pay another person who promises to recover the money for an upfront fee.
Still having trouble?
You don’t have to figure it out alone. LoTyde Tech Assistance provides friendly, patient technology help for residents throughout Indiana County and surrounding communities. If the safe basic checks steps above did not solve the problem, we can help diagnose what is actually going wrong and determine the next step.
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