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Whether you’re kicking off the fall semester with a new internship or looking for an on-campus gig, there’s a scam you should know about.

You get a text or an email from someone who says they’re your boss (spoiler alert: they’re not really your boss). They have a favor to ask. They want your help with a surprise — maybe a party or some other reward for your coworkers. No matter the details, the ask is the same: they want you to buy some gift cards and send them photos of the card numbers and PINs. They promise to pay you back, sometimes even by the end of the day. But wait: before you decide to “help” your “boss,” keep reading.

It’s a scam. It’s not your boss, there’s no surprise party or reward, and you won’t get paid back. It’s a scammer trying to get your money.

How can you spot a gift card scam like this?

  • Scammers will say it’s urgent. They don’t want you to have time to think about what they’re saying or talk to your actual boss or someone else you trust. Slow down. It’s a scam.
  • Scammers will tell you which gift card to buy (and where). They might say to put money on an eBay, Google Play, Target, or Apple gift card and send you to a specific store to get them.
  • Scammers will ask you for the gift card number and PIN. The card number and PIN on the back of the card let the scammer get the money you loaded onto the card — even if you still have the card itself. Never share those numbers or send a photo of the card. That’s a sure sign of a scam.

If you sent gift card numbers and PINs to a scammer, report it to the gift card company right away and ask for your money back. Be ready to give them the card numbers when you call. And then tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. 

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Did someone ask you for gift card numbers and PINs? It could be 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.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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.

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