ScamPause

Immediate Answer

This is always a scam: If anyone asks you to pay for anything using gift cards — whether it's iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Target, Visa gift cards, or any other type — it's a scam. No legitimate business, government agency, utility company, tech support service, or any other real organization will ever ask you to pay with gift cards. Never.

How This Scam Works

Scammers use gift cards because they're nearly impossible to trace and can't be reversed once the codes are shared. They work gift card requests into almost every type of scam:

• IRS or government impost scams: "Pay your back taxes with gift cards"
• Tech support scams: "Pay for computer repairs with gift cards"
• Utility shutoff scams: "Your power will be cut off unless you pay with gift cards"
• Prize or lottery scams: "Pay taxes/fees on your winnings with gift cards"
• Romance scams: "Send me gift cards for an emergency"
• Online purchase scams: "Payment must be made with gift cards"
• Job scams: "Buy equipment for your new job with gift cards"

The scammer will tell you to go to a store, buy specific gift cards (often several cards worth $500 each), then call them back and read the card numbers over the phone or send photos of the cards. Once they have the numbers, the money is gone instantly.

Signs This Is a Scam

• They ask for payment in any form of gift card — this alone confirms it's a scam
• They want specific types of cards (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Steam, etc.)
• They ask you to buy multiple cards, often in amounts like $500 each
• They want you to scratch off the back and read them the numbers
• They tell you to stay on the phone while you go to the store
• They discourage you from talking to store employees
• They claim gift cards are a normal form of payment
• They create urgency ("do this immediately or something bad will happen")

What To Do Right Now

1. Do not buy gift cards for anyone who asked you to.
2. If you're at the store or on your way, turn around and go home. Don't buy the cards.
3. If you bought the cards but haven't shared the numbers yet, stop immediately. Do not scratch off the back. Do not give them the numbers. Keep the cards.
4. Hang up the phone or stop communicating with whoever asked you to do this.
5. If someone claims to be from a real company or agency, contact that organization directly using a phone number you look up yourself to verify.

If You Already Sent Money or Information

If you bought gift cards and gave them the numbers:

• Contact the gift card company immediately (Google, Apple, Amazon, etc.)
• Provide the card numbers, receipts, and explain you were scammed
• They may be able to freeze any remaining balance on the cards
• Act quickly — the scammers drain the cards immediately

Gift card companies you can contact:

• Google Play: support.google.com/googleplay, then Report a gift card scam
• Apple/iTunes: reportaproblem.apple.com
• Amazon: amazon.com/contact-us
• Target: target.com/contact-us
• Visa/Mastercard gift cards: Call the number on the back of the card

Unfortunately, once gift card codes are shared and used, the money is almost impossible to recover. But reporting it creates a record and may help in rare cases where the scammer hasn't emptied the cards yet.

Report the scam:

• Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• Report to local police, especially if you lost a significant amount
• If the scammer impersonated a specific company or agency, report it to them

How To Protect Yourself Going Forward

• Remember this simple rule: Gift cards are for gifts. They are never a form of payment for businesses, services, taxes, or fees.
• If anyone asks you to pay with gift cards, end the conversation immediately
• The IRS, Social Security, utility companies, and tech support never want gift cards
• Real law enforcement never resolves legal matters with gift cards
• Real prizes never require payment
• If in doubt, hang up and call the organization directly using a number you find yourself
• Talk to store employees if you feel pressured — many are trained to recognize scams

You Are Not Alone

Gift card scams steal hundreds of millions of dollars every year. The scammers are professionals at creating urgency and fear. They claim the payment method is normal and necessary. They may have spent days or weeks building trust with you. If you fell for this, you're not foolish — you're human, and these criminals are experts at psychological manipulation.

What matters now is protecting yourself going forward and knowing that gift cards are never a legitimate form of payment.