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
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
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.
We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.
In reply to Thank you for sharing your by FTC Staff
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to My employee was contacted two by Laura
In reply to Hi Laura by Csara
Please report this to the FTC at FTC.gov/complaint. The information you give will go into a database that law enforcement uses for investigations.
In reply to My employee was contacted two by Laura
In reply to what is the billing and fraud by tony
If you gave someone the code from an iTunes card and you think it was a scam, call Apple Support at 1-800-275-2273 right away (you may have to spend some time on hold).
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
First time taking a loan out , a guy name Jason Martinez from cash advance was helping me with a loan. He wanted my account info I gave it to him. My loan was 3000 for a car , he knew my situation I told him this is my first time taking out a loan. He gave me his number and he wanted me to send a picture of myself for my file... So I sent a fake picture at first then I sent my real picture.
He told me he was giving me money well the government was 500$ so I can build up my credit , I had to go to Walgreens got two iTunes card put 400 on one n 100 on the other which he told me to do. I sent him the code n he said I was going to get me loan.
He calls again hours later he told me his boss said I didn't qualify but not to worry I needed a few points to get the loan cuz my credit . So he provided me another 500 $ to get my credit up , so bascially did the same process again.
I told him I saved all my reciets the iTunes cards everything , n he texts me n says can he get a picture but just for him I said no I called him n I yelled at him about what's going on he clicked on me . I called again he said I will get my loan of 3000 n every month I have to pay 100$ which I was going to do.
I feel like this is a scam because I have not received my loan. But I don't get it what did he get out of me . They gave me 1000 total I didn't spend it I just did what he told me to do I gave it back cuz he said something about if I take off with the money I'm in trouble. & I still haven't got my loan.
In reply to First time taking a loan out by Arie
You gave someone your bank account number and your picture. It's possible they could use this information to take money from your account, or to commit identity theft. You can check your credit report for free, to see if anyone opened new accounts or did anything using your name.
If your credit report shows identity theft, go to IdentityTheft.gov. You can report identity theft and get help with fixing the problems caused by identity theft.
If there's a problem with the money he deposited in your account, you may have to repay it. For example, if he used a bad check to put money in your account, the bank will expect you to pay it back.
This FTC article tells you some warning signs of loan scams.
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
my case is slightly different. I applied for a loan of £3,000.00 they said the instalment would be £100 per month for 3 years. I said what's the catch.
To show I could repay the loan I need to buy a £100 iTunes card. I said what's that and he told me about it and where I could purchase, he then said tescos or Sainsburys. He said when I get the card to call them give them the number and that I should stay on the line whilst they take the number and I would see the monies sent to my account. He said when soon can I go to the shops I said that wont happen until end of the day. he says he's gonna call me today at 4.30pm when I said I finish work. His name is Mr Jack, indian accent contact number is 0208 144 2427 they have been calling me from yesterday. I called the number and they say there are loads of companies in the building. I wont be purchasing any iTunes card and I can see they will continue to keep calling me, but decided to check before I even decided to do anything because it was too good to be true. This is a very good site.
In reply to my case is slightly different by substance
Thank you for sharing your story. To help law enforcement, please make a formal report at FTC.gov/complaint. You can give details about the call, and choose whether to identify yourself. The details help law enforcement agencies with investigations.
You can subscribe to recieve FTC scam alerts and consumer information at ftc.gov/subscribe.
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to I have a man who said he by Ginae70
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to I was asked to purchase a by Mary
In reply to A man in the army in by Sharon m
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
I knew it must be a scam ...so I let em praddle on incessantly until I heard," iTunes card n $250 " I stated 'definitely a scam -do not contact me again! 2027908403 their number....I'm sure they have altered it by now! Sad thing is, lovely if it were true...Alas, not so.I kept asking what country he was ringing from....he said 'dc' yeah, I don't believe so . thank you for listening. Don't purchase these cards!
In reply to I knew it must be a scam by Vajravarhi3
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to I was contacted by a guy that by Dolphin
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Someone told me to buy a 15 by Princess des
If you buy the iTunes card and tell him the code, he takes control of the card and the money on the card.
He wants you to give him something first, and he says he'll give you money later. It could be a scam.
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Will claim into FTC helps to by Sasha
If you gave someone the code from an iTunes card and you think it was a scam, call Apple Support at 1-800-275-2273 right away (you may have to spend some time on hold). Tell them what happened and ask if they can disable the card. Also, go back to the store that sold you the card and talk with their customer service staff.
The FTC can't help you with a personal case, but when you report scams to the FTC at FTC.gov/complaint it helps law enforcement. The information you give goes into a secure database that law enforcement agencies use for investigations.
The comments you put here on the blog don't go into the law enforcement database.
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to I have a question if I was by Lyn
If someone says he'll pay you extra, but really you have to send him money (or iTunes cards) first, it's a scam.
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to Please add a linked in icon by mary
In reply to I was ask to go buy Google by Anna
This could be a scam. If you buy a gift card and give someone the number from the card, they take control of the card. If you use your own money to pay for the gift card and they don't pay you back, you lose money.
A scammer could deposit a bad check in your account, so you think you have money to spend. But it could take a couple weeks for the bank to find out that check is no good. If you withdraw money, and then the bank finds out that check was bad, you will have to repay the bank.
Pagination