One thing we know about scammers — they want money, and they want it fast. That’s why, whatever the con they’re running, they usually ask people to pay a certain way. They want to make it easy for themselves to get the money — and nearly impossible for you to get it back.
Their latest method? iTunes gift cards. To convince you to pay, they might pretend to be with the IRS and say you’ll be arrested if you don’t pay back taxes right now. Or pose as a family member or online love interest who needs your help fast. But as soon as you put money on a card and share the code with them, the money’s gone for good.
If you’re not shopping at the iTunes store, you shouldn’t be paying with an iTunes gift card. Other payment methods scammers might ask for include Amazon gift cards, PayPal, reloadable cards like MoneyPak, Reloadit, or Vanilla, or by wiring money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram. Government offices won’t require you to use these payment methods.
If you get targeted by a scam like this, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
Want to know more about avoiding scams? Read How to Avoid a Scam
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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
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In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to I just got burnt by advance by David
In reply to I AM SO GLAD that I did my by Renee
Please report this to the FTC at FTC.gov/complaint. Give as many details as you can about the call. The information you give will go into a database that law enforcement uses for investigations.
In reply to Please report this to the FTC by FTC Staff
In reply to the fbi and local police are by nmybonz
In reply to Just got hit by one today. by Notscammed
I'm glad you avoided the scam. Please report what happened at FTC.gov/complaint. The details you give will go into a database that law enforcement uses for investigations.
The comments you post here on the blog don't go into the law enforcement database.
In reply to I'm glad you avoided the scam by FTC Staff
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You can't update your phone with an iTunes card. The only place you can use an iTunes card is at the iTunes store, to buy online music, apps or books.
In reply to You can't update your phone by FTC Staff
In reply to THIS PERSON BY THE NAME OF by mdblanche
The FTC has tips on blocking unwanted calls. If you pay a scammer one time, he might call again and try to get more money from you.
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In reply to You can't update your phone by FTC Staff
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In reply to Do know his name my mom is by Grouchy_77
You can't use an iTunes card to make phone calls. Whoever asked for an iTunes card is not using it to make phone calls. The only place to use an iTunes card is at the iTunes store, to buy online music, apps or books.
In reply to You can't use an iTunes card by FTC Staff
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