Απάτες με κάρτες δώρων

Μια δωροκάρτα προορίζεται να χρησιμοποιηθεί σε αντάλλαγμα για αγαθά ή υπηρεσίες που προσφέρονται από τον εκδότη. Δεν θα πρέπει να τη θεωρείτε ως κανονική μορφή πληρωμής. Κάθε πωλητής που επιμένει στην πληρωμή με δωροκάρτα είναι πιθανότατα απατεώνας.

Οι απατεώνες λατρεύουν τις δωροκάρτες επειδή ΔΕΝ είναι ανιχνεύσιμες. Αυτό θα πρέπει να σας δώσει μια ιδέα για το γιατί οι απατεώνες επενδύουν χρόνο και ενέργεια σε αυτές τις απάτες εδώ.

Πληρωμές με δωροκάρτα έναντι μετρητών

Σας έχουν ζητήσει ποτέ να πληρώσετε για κάποιο αγαθό ή υπηρεσία από μια νόμιμη επιχείρηση; Η πληρωμή για πράγματα μέσω δωροκάρτας ευδοκιμεί σε διαδικτυακές πλατφόρμες όπου οι πωλητές είναι άτομα που δεν μπορείτε να συναντήσετε.

ΗWalmart, το iTunes, το eBay και η Google έχουν αρκετούς λιανοπωλητές που πωλούν τις δωροκάρτες τους.

Οι απατεώνες θα επικοινωνήσουν μαζί σας ισχυριζόμενοι ότι είναι τεχνική υποστήριξη, πράκτορες της Εφορίας, υπάλληλος της λοταρίας ή οποιοσδήποτε άλλος αναγνωρισμένος υπάλληλος. Ισχυρίζονται ότι οφείλετε ένα χρέος το οποίο θα πρέπει να πληρώσετε με δωροκάρτες. Στη συνέχεια, σας ζητούν να στείλετε τον κωδικό που βρίσκεται στο πίσω μέρος της κάρτας.

Κάποιοι θα τηλεφωνήσουν και θα ισχυριστούν ότι έχετε ήδη χρησιμοποιήσει μια υπηρεσία. Και θα πρέπει να πληρώσετε μέσω δωροκάρτας. Κλείστε το τηλέφωνο και αγνοήστε τέτοιες κλήσεις στο μέλλον.

Άλλοι απατεώνες που κάνουν ηλεκτρονικές αγορές προσφέρουν αγαθά στο διαδίκτυο σε πολύ καλές τιμές ευκαιρίας και επιμένουν ότι πρέπει να πληρώσετε μέσω δωροκάρτας. Μόλις τους δώσετε τον κωδικό της δωροκάρτας, σιωπούν και τα χρήματα στην κάρτα εξαφανίζονται!

Έχουν επίσης υπάρξει απάτες με φιλανθρωπικές οργανώσεις που συνδέονται με δωροκάρτες. Απατεώνες που παριστάνουν τους κληρικούς που συγκεντρώνουν χρήματα για έναν αξιόλογο σκοπό ή για κάποιον πιστό που έχει ανάγκη. Τηλεφωνούν, στέλνουν μηνύματα ή στέλνουν email στους πιστούς και τους ζητούν να αγοράσουν δωροκάρτες και στη συνέχεια μοιράζονται τους αριθμούς τους.

Η κυβέρνηση και οι εταιρείες που αξίζουν τον κόπο δεν ζητούν πληρωμή μέσω δωροκάρτας. Ζητούν πληρωμή σε πραγματικά χρήματα.

Έξυπνη κλοπή του PIN της κάρτας δώρου

Κάποιοι απατεώνες είναι τόσο τολμηροί ώστε να επισκέπτονται καταστήματα που πωλούν δωροκάρτες και αντί να αγοράσουν, ξύνουν για να αποκαλύψουν το PIN, να βγάλουν φωτογραφία και να ξαναβάλουν το sicker. Μια τέτοια κάρτα δεν θα φαίνεται κατεστραμμένη στο αδιάκριτο μάτι σας. Θα συνειδητοποιήσετε ότι είναι πλαστή μόνο αφού την αγοράσετε και προσπαθήσετε να τη χρησιμοποιήσετε!

Ο απατεώνας έκλεψε τον κωδικό PIN αλλά άφησε την κάρτα. Μόνο το PIN είναι απαραίτητο για τις ανταλλαγές.

Πληρώστε για την αποστολή της δωροκάρτας

Είναι σύνηθες φαινόμενο οι απατεώνες να παριστάνουν τους γνήσιους εκπροσώπους της εταιρείας. Μια απάτη με δωροκάρτα Walmart έδειξε αγοραστές να δολώνονται μέσω ενός ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου. "Πάρτε μέρος σε μια έρευνα και μπορείτε να κερδίσετε μια δωροκάρτα 500 δολαρίων", ανέφερε το μήνυμα ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου.

Government agencies won’t tell you the things above, don’t fall for those! (Image Credit: FTC)

Tech support gift card scams

Tech support scams often start with a fake warning. You may see a pop-up that says your computer has a virus. You may also get a call from someone who claims to work for Microsoft, Apple, Google, a bank, or an antivirus company.

The scammer may say your account is at risk. They may ask you to pay for “protection,” “software renewal,” “account recovery,” or “security service” with a gift card.

Real tech support teams do not fix devices through gift card payments. If a support agent asks for a gift card, close the page or end the call.

Your PC isn’t in trouble, and you don’t need a scammer’s gift card!

Online marketplace gift card scams

Marketplace scams usually target people who want a good deal.

A seller may offer a phone, game console, ticket, pet, rental room, car part, or gaming item at a low price. Then they ask for a gift card as a “deposit,” “delivery fee,” “reservation payment,” or “proof that you are serious.”

Once you send the code, the seller disappears. In many cases, the product never existed.
Use payment methods with buyer protection. Avoid sellers who push you away from the platform or ask for gift cards.

If the deal is too good to be true, it most likely is!

Romance and friendship gift card scams

Romance scams often take more time. The person first builds trust. They send friendly messages, personal stories, and emotional details. Then they ask for help.

They may say:

• “I need a card to fix my phone.”
• “My bank account is blocked.”
• “I need it for my child.”
• “I will pay you back tomorrow.”
• “Please do not tell anyone.”

A real relationship does not need repeated gift card payments. If someone you met online asks for gift cards, treat it as a serious warning sign

Romance scams usually follow the same pattern, and gift cards are also a part of them.

Fake eGift card emails and phishing links

Fake eGift card emails can steal more than the gift card balance.

The email may say you received or won an electronic gift card. The link may take you to a fake claim page. That page may ask for your email password, phone number, address, payment card, or account login.

This is textbook phishing. Phishing means a fake message or website tries to steal sensitive information.

If an eGift card email looks strange, do not click the link. Go to the brand’s official website directly.

If you receive an email similar to this pattern, just don’t click on the links!

Warning signs of a gift card scam

Most gift card scams show at least one clear warning sign.

Watch for these red flags:

• Someone asks for the gift card number and PIN.
• They ask you to send a photo of the card or receipt.
• They tell you to stay on the phone while buying the card.
• They tell you not to speak to the cashier.
• They ask for a specific brand, such as Apple, Google Play, Steam, Amazon, Target,
• Walmart, eBay, or Visa.
• They say the first card “did not work” and ask for another one.
• They use pressure phrases like “final notice,” “only today,” or “you will be arrested.”
• A seller refuses safer payment options.
• A prize asks you to pay before you receive it.
• A gift card package looks scratched, glued, resealed, or covered with an extra barcode sticker.

The strongest warning sign is simple. Someone asks you to use a gift card as payment.

How to check a gift card before you buy it

You can reduce the risk before you pay at the counter.

Use this checklist:

1. Buy gift cards from trusted stores or official brand websites.
2. Choose cards from cashier-controlled displays when possible.
3. Check the PIN cover for scratches or lifting.
4. Look for glue marks, tears, resealing, or loose packaging.
5. Check whether the barcode looks like a sticker.
6. Compare the card with nearby cards from the same brand.
7. Ask store staff to inspect the card if anything looks wrong.
8. Keep the receipt and activation slip.
9. Use the card soon after purchase.

If the gift card request came from a website, check the domain before you act. ScamAdviser’s Trust Score reviews different website signals and explains why a website may look risky.

This can help you spot a fake shop, fake prize page, or suspicious payment request before you enter personal details.

What to do if you paid a scammer with a gift card

Act fast. Do not argue with the scammer. Do not buy another card. They love making it feel like it didn’t work, so that they can make you redeem another one. Don’t fall for that, it is the most classic trick in the book.

If you bought the card but did not share the code

You may still be able to stop the loss.

Do this:

1. Do not share the code, PIN, barcode, or receipt.
2. Stop replying to the person who asked for it.
3. Keep the card and receipt.
4. Check the balance through the official issuer website or phone number.
5. Contact the retailer if you bought it under pressure.
6. Report the attempted scam on the platform where it started.

If you shared the code or PIN

Contact the gift card issuer immediately and say something along the lines of:

“I was tricked into sharing this gift card code. Can you check the balance and freeze the card?”

Then do this:

1. Keep the physical card.
2. Keep the receipt and activation slip.
3. Save screenshots of messages, emails, profiles, phone numbers, and websites.
4. Ask the issuer for a case number.
5. Report the scam to the platform where it started.
6. Report the suspicious website to ScamAdviser.
7. Contact local authorities if the scam involved threats or impersonation.

Speed matters. If the balance has not been used, the issuer may still be able to freeze it.

Can you get money back from a gift card scam?

You may get money back only if the gift card issuer can stop the balance before the scammer uses it.

Gift cards do not work like credit cards. Once someone redeems the code, the issuer may not recover the money. This is why you should contact the gift card company first.

Be careful after the first loss. Recovery scams often target victims again. A fake recovery agent may say they can get your money back for a fee.

Do not pay anyone who promises recovery through another gift card, wire transfer, crypto payment, or upfront fee.

How to avoid gift card scams

Use one simple rule first: never pay a stranger, company, agency, or online seller with a gift card.

Then use these habits:

• Do not share gift card codes by phone, text, email, or chat.
• Do not send photos of gift cards or receipts.
• Do not stay on the phone with someone who tells you what to buy.
• Do not trust a caller who tells you to hide the payment from store staff.
• Check urgent requests through a second channel.
• Call a known number if someone claims to be your boss, pastor, teacher, friend, or relative.
• Check suspicious websites before you enter personal data.
• Talk to older relatives about the gift card payment red flag.
• Use payment methods with buyer protection when you shop online.

A short pause can stop the scam. If someone rushes you, slow down and check.

FAQs about gift card scams

Why do scammers ask for gift cards?

Scammers ask for gift cards because they can use the code quickly and the payment is hard to reverse.

Can I get money back after a gift card scam?

You may get money back only if the gift card issuer can freeze the balance before the scammer uses it.

What should I do if I gave someone a gift card code?

Contact the gift card issuer immediately, keep the card and receipt, and report the scam.

Do government agencies accept gift cards as payment?

No, government agencies do not accept gift cards for taxes, fines, bail, or official fees.

Is it safe to pay an online seller with a gift card?

No, gift cards are not safe for payments to online sellers because they offer little protection after you share the code.

How can I tell if a gift card was tampered with?

Look for scratched PIN covers, loose packaging, glue marks, resealed areas, or barcode stickers over the original barcode.

Can a fake website steal gift card information?

Yes, fake websites can collect gift card codes, personal details, login information, and payment data.

Where can I report a gift card scam?

Report it to the gift card issuer, the platform where it started, local authorities when needed, and ScamAdviser.