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Gift card safety

A gift card code works like cash and cannot be traced. That makes it the payment scammers ask for. This page shows how those requests look and what to do.

The rule

Nobody legitimate asks to be paid in gift cards.

Not the IRS, not a utility, not tech support, not an employer, not a prize. If a payment has to be a gift card, stop.

Common scams

The script is the same each time. Create fear or urgency, then name gift cards as the only fix.

Government and tax

A caller says they are the IRS, Social Security or the police and you owe money or face arrest. Agencies send letters. They do not take gift cards and do not threaten arrest by phone.

Tech support

A pop-up or caller says your computer is infected and asks for gift cards to fix it. Microsoft, Apple and Amazon do not charge for support in gift cards.

Utility shut-off

"Your power is off in an hour unless you pay by gift card." Utilities send written notices and accept normal payment.

Prize and lottery

You have "won" but must pay taxes or a release fee in gift cards first. A real prize costs nothing to collect.

Romance

An online partner you have not met has an emergency and needs gift cards. The request for cards is the scam.

Job and overpayment

A new "employer" sends a check and asks you to buy gift cards with part of it. The check bounces after the cards are gone.

Family emergency

Someone posing as a grandchild or friend is in trouble and needs gift cards quietly. Call the person back on a number you already have.

Bank "protection"

A "fraud department" says your account is compromised and you must move money into gift cards. Banks do not do this.

Warning signs

  • Pressure to act now, to stay on the phone or to tell nobody.
  • Gift cards named as the only accepted payment.
  • A request to read the numbers or PIN off the back of a card.
  • A specific brand and amount you are told to buy, often across several stores.
  • Threats of arrest, deportation or account closure.
  • Anyone asking you to buy cards for them and send the codes.

Buying and selling safely

Do

  • Buy from marketplaces with a balance guarantee. Each brand page lists the guarantee period per seller.
  • Compare the rate first. A discount far above every other seller is a warning.
  • Check the balance as soon as the card arrives.
  • Keep the receipt and order reference until the card is spent.

Do not

  • Buy gift cards to pay a person or company that demands them.
  • Share a card number or PIN with someone who contacted you.
  • Buy from a stranger over social media or a messaging app.
  • Send codes before you have verified who you are dealing with.

What GiftCardHawk does and does not do

  • We publish the operating company, the Terms, the Privacy Policy and the AML policy.
  • We answer email from support@giftcardhawk.com.
  • We do not call or text you to demand gift cards.
  • We do not ask for the PIN of a card you own by phone.
  • We do not promise a return on gift cards.

Anyone doing those things in our name is not us. Report it.

If you already paid

Act quickly. A balance can sometimes still be frozen.

  1. Contact the card issuer (the brand on the card). Say the card was used in a scam and ask them to freeze the funds. Keep the card and the receipt.
  2. Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
  3. Tell your bank if you paid by card or transfer.
  4. Report it to the police and, for online fraud, to the FBI at ic3.gov.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Tactics change. When in doubt, hang up and verify through a channel you already trust.