If anyone asks you to pay a bill, a fine, a fee or a debt with gift cards, it's a scam. Real companies and authorities never take payment in gift card codes. Don't send the code. If you already did, contact the card issuer right away with your receipt, and report it to the police.
Gift cards are the payment scammers like most. A code works like cash: whoever has it can spend it, from anywhere, within minutes, and the payment can rarely be reversed. That's why so many scams end with the same request: buy cards, scratch them, send the codes.
The scams you'll see most
- The authority scam. Someone claiming to be the tax office, the police, customs or a court says you owe money and must pay today, with gift cards, to avoid arrest or a fine.
- The tech support scam. A pop-up or a call says your computer or account is infected or locked, and the fix has to be paid in gift cards.
- The boss or friend scam. A message that looks like it's from your manager, a relative or a friend asks you to quickly buy cards and send photos of the codes. The account was hacked or faked.
- The prize scam. You've won something, but have to pay a fee or tax first, in gift cards.
- The romance scam. Someone you met online, often never on a video call, needs money for a ticket, a hospital bill or customs, and asks for gift cards.
- The marketplace scam. A buyer or seller online wants to pay or be paid in gift cards, or overpays and asks you to send the difference back in cards.
Warning signs
- Pressure. You have to pay today, within the hour, or something bad happens.
- Secrecy. You're told not to tell the cashier, the bank or your family what the cards are for.
- A specific brand. They tell you exactly which cards to buy and in which shop.
- The back of the card. They ask for a photo of the back, or for the code itself. With that, the money is theirs.
Already bought the card?
- 1Don't send the codeIf you haven't shared it yet, keep it. The card is still yours.
- 2Contact the card issuerCall or write to the company on the card, using the contact details on its official website, never ones the caller gave you. Say it's a scam and have the receipt ready. If the code hasn't been spent, they may be able to freeze it.
- 3Keep the receipt and the cardYou'll need both for the issuer and the police.
- 4Report itReport the scam to the police. Many countries also run a national service for reporting fraud online.
Why we don't buy these cards
We don't buy cards that were obtained through a scam or that someone sells on behalf of another person. When a card turns out to come from a scam, the payout and the balance it created are frozen, and we may share what we know with the issuer and the police. Our AML & KYC policy explains how we check.
Questions
Do real companies ever take gift cards as payment?
Shops take their own gift cards when you buy something from them. But no tax office, police force, court, utility, bank, tech support line or debt collector takes payment in gift card codes.
Can I get my money back?
Sometimes, if you act fast. Contact the company that issued the card with your receipt before the code is spent. Once it has been redeemed, the money is usually gone.
Someone sent me gift cards to sell for them. Is that OK?
No. Selling cards for someone else is against our terms, and it is a common way to turn stolen or scammed cards into money. Accounts that do this are frozen.
What happens if a scammed card is sold here?
When a card turns out to come from a scam, we freeze the payout and the balance it created, and we may share what we know with the card issuer and the police.