Consumer Alert
If you paid a scammer with a gift card, is your money gone? Maybe not
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Did someone tell you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers? That’s a scam. Your money was gone the moment you gave someone those gift card numbers. But now, some gift card companies might be able to get your money back.
Gift card scams start with calls, texts, emails, or social media messages. The scammer pretends to be someone they’re not: a company, the government, a family member, or romantic interest. Their message is always urgent. And they want money. They’ll tell you to buy a gift card or maybe multiple gift cards. Once you do, they’ll demand you send a photo of the card or give them the numbers on the back of the card.
But now, some gift card companies are flagging fraudulent transactions and freezing stolen gift card money so that scammers can’t get it. And those gift card companies want to give that money back.
So, if a gift card scam happens to you, act fast:
- Report it to the gift card company. Tell them you were scammed. Give the gift card company the information from your receipt or a copy of the numbers on your gift card.
- Ask for your money back. Once you report a gift card scam to the gift card company, ask for your money back. If the money was frozen or not downloaded by the scammer, some gift card companies will give the money back.
- Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report makes a difference and helps #stopscams.
The faster you contact any gift card company to report a gift card scam, the better the chance of getting your money back. But it doesn’t matter when you were scammed with a gift card. For more information about avoiding and reporting gift card scams, visit ftc.gov/giftcards.
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This is really good, I did this but was not able to recover my money from the gift cards at google.
We reported the scam to Walmart and they said that they could do nothing and would not give us our money back. Don’t buy Walmart gift cards!
In reply to We reported the scam to… by Adrian
Yes Walmart got me good .and would not give money back. Never buy gift cards at Walmart they straight rip customers off all the time
In reply to We reported the scam to… by Adrian
I was told to buy Vanilla gift cards .Then he said try Amazon card. I think that didn't work as well for him and he went back to Vanilla card. I was talked into buying four Vanilla card cards and one Amazon. I saved all of them.I called Vanilla card the first time. They said they would look into it.I did not call again. I thought everything was on the up and up.What a nice sounding person. Good person doing bad things. God bless his soul!
In reply to I was told to buy Vanilla… by Bernice
Well that how sometimes it is
But we going to over come it
In reply to We reported the scam to… by Adrian
I had the same experience. They wouldn't exchange the gift card either. It was an Apple gift card. The card didn't work either but they still wouldn't give my money back or let me exchange it. Neither would Apple.
In reply to We reported the scam to… by Adrian
I called apple gift card company but there is no money left on the card so they can not do anything, either.
i was scammed for $1000. with two Target gift cards in April,23 . Target cannot help unless cards or receipt have been saved. I cannot share either. I was so scared that my memory has been forgotten. I reported to the FBI as instructed by my local police department. I have not heard back from them. It was a waste of time calling Target Gift card scam
In reply to i was scammed for $1000… by mary ganem
I was fooled enough to lose $10K
In reply to I was fooled enough to lose … by Thomas Hardy
I know your pain Thomas Hardy. I'm out over $14,000! I was able to convince at least three of the charge card companies and One bank, to remove some of the charges, but to date that's only $3500. I've got a way to go.
This whole scam thing is heinous. I'm not the only one who lost most of her retirement savings! I understand that gift card companies and banks do not want to give back these funds, (even though they are insured) but there should be a law SOMEWHERE to protect the vulnerable, compassionate and often threatened elders (and others) whole get roped into these atrocities!
They got 1,000.00 from me in 2020. I was at most vulnerable state of mind, disabled and had just moved 3rd time to rental house in SCafter relocating from NY. One month after moving spouse had motorcycle accident in ICU one month, not allowed there covid had just hit. He came home, in hospital bed over 1 yr and i knew nobody, only one his caretaker and still living out of boxes today. No money refturned and no car to get gift cards so taxi took me. She knew it was a scam, i was threatened so i was scared and she even called police to help. Officer came to walmart and did not tell me to hang up on scammer just flirted with taxi girl. Still had more money stolen recenntly too. Website acts as selling extra items from amazon and lost 300.00 for a desk laptop and mini speakers. Reported but nothing heard as of today. Now i do not even answer my phone and do not believe any one helps and i had multiple thefts since living in 2 rental homes. Cannot wait to get my retirrment condo of my own. World not the same anymore as nobody cares. I learned the hard way.
I was scammed out of thousands of dollars. He sounded soooo nice & friendly. I should have known better, but I was a total idiot. It will NEVER happen to me again.
In reply to I was scammed out of… by Granny
My sister met aan on a dating site.. suppose to be millionair with big business .. went over to cypress for so called meeting but turned out to be a couple months long.. now company went belly up .. so now he's trying to get her to purchase a vanilla gift card for himself. HES FILLED HER WITH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.. I WANT TO MARRY YOU.. CONVINCED HER TO PUT ALL HER PERSONAL INFO ABOUT EVERYTHING OUT THERE. MADE GER BELIEVE TO ANSWER HIM BACK AS I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU. ASKEC HER TO EVEN TAKE OUT CAR LOAN. NOW SHES NOT FIMILAR WITH SCAMMERS AND YET SEEMS TO BELIEVE THIS MAN AS TRUTHS AND IS CONSIDERING GETTING A CARD.. IT BOTHERS ME TROLLS LIKE THIS ARE EVERYWHERE. I DO BELIEVE THIS STORY NEEDS TO BE PUT OUT THERE AS A WARNING TO WOMEN OR MEN ALIKE TO WARN THEM.. DONT ALWAYS BELIEVE WHAT YOU HEAR JUST WAIT TO YOU ACTUALLY MEET BEFORE EVER DISCUSSING ANY MONEY WHAT SO EVER..
In reply to I was scammed out of… by Granny
This Grammy was also very recently scammed for a lot of money too!
I was scammed out of $10,000 target gift cards a year ago from scammers. I reported it to Target immediately & twice to consumer affairs & didn’t even get a response!
Target replied nothing they could do if they were already cashed by scammers. Don’t waste your time!
In reply to I was scammed out of $10,000… by Carol
My 96 yr old mother scammed out of $10,000 target cards and $10,000 Walmart. All of them could care less. No response. They didn’t think it was unusual an elderly person was buying 10,000 of gift cards ?
In reply to I was scammed out of $10,000… by Carol
I was Scammed by someone that told me I had won a sweepstakes worth 500.000 dollars and I was talked into buying over one thousand dollars worth of gift cards and sending them the numbers I want my money back.
I was scammed about a year ago! He said he was a FB computer tech and I sent him a $50 Amazon gift card and he wanted another gift card but Amazon flagged the second card and said it was a scam! I told Amazon about the first gift card. Amazon said they would refund my money but they never did! So, I lost $50! Never again do I trust a stranger and send him gift cards or money! But this guy kept messaging me! I think I may have messaged him back and told him he was a scammer! His messages finally stopped! But I did notice he had changed his name!
I was scammed too! I applied for a job add and the scammer used a fake Facebook acct. told me to by gift cards which would be used to purchase trading equipments. Told me to by vanilla gift cards and give him numbers. I fell for it and he scammed me out over $10,000. I believed him I should have known better when he was threatening and pressured me to go buy cards. I was so stupid. I contacted gift card company and reported to the local police department. I couldn’t get anyone to help me. I was out of luck. I’m ashamed I fell for this!!
In reply to I was scammed too! I… by TB
I used a credit card to buy gift cards and I have to get a personal loan to pay off my high interest rate and my credit report took a hit. I wish I could get at least half my money back!!
I was hired to do a secret shopping job with who I thought was Whole Foods, I do these all the time and thought it was legit. Only to find out when I turned in the work and the gift cards numbers I lost that money and I had to pay back the money the bank was out because I was paid with a check and told to buy the gift cards to use as a payment source. smh!
I reported it when it happened but was not encouraged to really pursue it. The person just acted as if,well that's on you.
In reply to I reported it when it… by Robbie Burnes
Elaborate what the silly scam was so we can decide for oursleves.
I have been defrauded on every level from identity theft , car insurance , every account upwards of 500,000 my life is in ruins and even my mail is fake it’s a nightmare and receiving money back lol 😂 never
I was scammed into buying a 500.00 Target gift card. I contacted my bank first, & they investigated & said was fraud so no charge from them. I called Target next & they have refused to claim it as fraudulent, so they are still trying to charge me for the 500.00.
In reply to I was scammed into buying a… by Janice
Janice - Who is your bank? I was scammed the end of August out of $8,000 with gift cards from Home Depot. Home Depot is still investigating and Citibank so far has said I am responsible because I bought the cards and sent the numbers to the scammers who used them within hoiurs.
In reply to Janice - Who is your bank? I… by Steven A Loehrer
Same situation, different company/Lowes gift cards via Discover Card. Mine was 7/18/2023. Discover is not very pleasant involving my card charge. Said not fraud, because I got the cards. I will fight for awhile.
My mom is getting scamed i need help her boyfriend is in syeria she always does this im tired of this
When I called ftc, the woman literally told me it’s impossible to get my money back. She never provided that going to a company would help me out.
Thanks for this, followed all the steps. Unfortunately target won't refund my money. As a billion dollar corp with the assistance of our help in reporting fraud and scammers, I really wish they did more to support their customer base. this sucks.
I reported it to the gift card companies and they won't give me back my money. Only if there was money on it. They will give it back. If not they won't give you back your money
If the gift card company not where you purchased the card at (the retailer) refuses to refund your money back to you then you are out of money. I brought gift cards before for someone and it sucks being out of money it's like you are responsible and held liable for the purchase. Not much anyone can do refunding the money back to you maybe your bank might do something even if you report to the gift card company or ftc the retailer doesn't expect returns on gift cards.
Reported to Sephora Gift Card Co. that their card was used in a scam. They informed me that they sold their cards to the third party who sold it to Safeway Grocery store.
Both should work together to get your money back.
I first rec'd an e-mail that had Best Buy logo, Geek Squad stating I owed them 349 dollars. I called the number on the e-mail. I was told that my credit was being hacked by hackers. and they were trying to get loans over 30,000 dollars, The only way that I could fix it was to prove where I lived, what state I was in, so that I needed to buy gift cards. I charged and maxed out my credit cards and my debit card was cleared out. Not one person would give me the money back, over 2500 dollars. Went to the police, they told me this is an old scam, and there are many scammers.
I fell victim to a gift card scam on December 21, 2022. It was the day after my final chemo treatment and unbeknown to me, I had 'chemo-brain' and was not thinking straight. Several credit cards were involved and my debit card from Union Bank. When I realized what had happened, I reported the fraud and filed a police report. Some charges had been declined and the Lowes charge was written off by Synchrony Bank and they sent me a new card with a credit balance of $48 - bless them! Union Bank were the only problem. They refused to write off the fraudulent charges, but sent me a new credit and and a new debit card. I closed the checking account, but the $1,000 that went on the debit card is lost forever. Then, Union was acquired by U.S. Bank to whom I was transfering my accounts anyway. I just spoke with someone from the U.S. Bank fraud department yet again and they will not do anything for me. They stated gift card scams are not considered fraud. I wish I had lied and said my cards had been cloned. My credit score has taken a ding, but I cannot and will not ever pay this card. Hopefully, it will eventually go away.
I was gifted 2 25$ vanilla gift card Visas for my birthday. I live in washington state. 6 hours later someone depleted those funds in California. All followed all requests made by Vanilla Gift. Then even after i received confirmation that they were received. The live agents states my case is closed since they werent received. BUT I HAVE ELECTRONIC VERIFICATION THAT THEY WERE RECEIVED
I was scammed today by a phony PayPal customer service agent. I have young onset Parkinson’s/ Lewy Body dementia.
Called PayPal to fix an issue with my account. Rep manager named Jason told me he needed to verify my identity. Told me to sign into Connectwise control so he could join my phone and instruct me on what to do. Told me to sign into my bank account and type in server email address with some numbers. Said it didn’t work to verify so told me to sign into Apple ID he said it didn’t work to verify my ID told me to sign into Amazon. He told me it wasn’t verifying my ID. I needed to go to CVS and get a $500 Apple Card and that I would be charged for it that it was only for verification. He told me to give him the activation code and that the code didn’t verify my ID and to get another one. The cashier said no it’s a scam and he said she was lying and told me to go to another store and not to tell them why I was there. I said “no”. He told me that if I didn’t I wouldn’t get refunded the money they took from my bank account which was almost $700 after he told me repeatedly nothing would be taken out of my bank account that it was just for verification.
He kept assuring me everything was fine and not to worry. I called PayPal again while he was still on the phone and put it on speaker the real PayPal rep told me he was stealing all my money. The fake rep called him a liar and he hung up. He kept calling me over and over and the real PayPal rep told me not to answer.
In total $700 taken from my bank account $500 Apple Card $400 charged to my PayPal for another Apple gift card and $140 to my Amazon for 2 Xbox gift cards.
No recovery as of yet except Apple Card purchased at CVS for $500 because they didn’t use it yet I was told they did use the $400 one they charged to my PayPal so there was nothing Apple could do. They said they would send me a $500 check in 4-6 weeks.
PayPal my bank Apple and Amazon each tell me to call the other and none of them will accept or refund the fraudulent charges. My bank account was left with 67 cents they took my entire SS disability.
Scammed by Ticketmaster fraud group for $1000.00 of Apple E Cards (2) @$500.00 each. I called Apple Gift Card Company they told me they could not help me because I ordered them on the Walmart website, they gave me Walmarts Fraud number. now Walmart said they cannot help me to call Apple. I have Amazon Prime Card, Amazon Fraud said they cannot refund me any money; I have filled a report with La Habra Police Department and the FTC. This is Grand Theft.
I bought a $500 Apple gift card from Walmart. When I peeled off the foil from the back to get the PIN number, one of the numbers was removed. I called Apple and they said someone had used my gift card 2 hours before I called. And there was nothing they could do. Walmart wouldn’t help either. Apparently thieves take all of the gift cards home, write down the PINS and then take them back to the store. And then these billion dollar companies won’t help at all.
My son purchased two 50.00 gift cards for our Christmas present. When I regester them it showed a gift card balance my husband put his away and when I took the dog's to the vet's and went to use it it declined it. I came home and checked the web site and sure enought some one In CA used it . I reported it to card company and they said it could take 32 to 90 days to return the money, I need to click on these attachments like 5 of them so they could get started on claim. You talk to one person that you really can't make out what there saying and then they transfer you the some one who speaks english. My husband hangs up on then and says that I'm talking to scamers. So now I guess we'll never get our money back.