Picture this: You're at home when the phone rings, and an automated voice on the other end tells you that you're being offered a great deal on your internet bill which includes 50% off and a free Apple watch if you act now.
All you have to do is purchase a gift card and call in with the numbers on the back to secure your discount.
If big flashing red lights didn’t just go off behind your eyes with a “whoop whoop” alert noise, then let me clue you in: No. Nope. Never. Hang up now.
What you've just experienced in one of the newest and most common scams that fraudsters use to trick people out of their money and often their personal information: a gift card scam.
A recent FTC alert says that currently, scammers have been impersonating major service providers like AT&T, Comcast Xfinity and Spectrum using automated robocalls in order to push fake limited time offers in order to trick people into paying them in gift cards.
The fake robocalls will offer fake discounts like a 40-50% off of a service bill, or a special bundle deal or free gift (like an Apple Watch), and usually pressure a victim by adding a sense of urgency or putting a time limit on the offer by saying the discount is only available today or for the next few hours.
“To secure the discount” you are told to pay upfront using a gift card from retailers like Apple, Google Play or Target, then asked to share the gift card number and PIN over the phone. Sometimes they’ll also ask for your service account information to verify your telecom account or login credentials. Then they'll take the gift card money and sometimes cancel or take over your account as well.
What to know about gift card scams
If you're not familiar with gift card scams, don’t feel bad – they’re popular because they work. And they work because they count on people wanting to secure something that is being offered to them urgently (like a discount on phone or tv or internet service) or with a time limit.
They work for scammers because gift cards are not traceable or refundable like credit cards so it’s easier for them to get away with this trick.
And they’re all over the place. Here's what you should know:
Gift cards are meant to be, well, gifts. So if anyone ever requests a gift card as payment, it should immediately make you wary and suspicious.
If they are ever demanding or urgent, hang up, cancel the chat or otherwise remove yourself from the conversation.
If you don’t know someone or have never met them, don’t provide a gift card as payment.
I cannot think of a single legitimate company that accepts gift cards as payment, but I can think of dozens of circumstances wherein gift card payments are used in fraud, tricks and scams.
And the same thing applies to login information – your account provider should never ask you to give those details over the phone, so please don't give those details out freely unless you've double and triple checked who you're speaking to.
That being said, these scams prey on a sense of urgency so don’t feel bad if you’ve already given out the goods. Here’s what to do next.
What to do if you've fallen for a gift card scam
First things first: Report the scam to the FTC at Reportfraud.ftc.gov and fill out the online forms. This can track the scam and help protect other consumers. Keep copies of what you've filed with the FTC and all other companies you contact.
Next, contact the company that issued the gift card and explain the situation. Make sure to provide them with the relevant details like the gift card number, purchase receipt and any other information you have. You can ask for you money back as well – though, you may or may not have any luck with that, depending on whether or not the scammer has taken the funds off the card, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
You can also report the fraud to the FBI's IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) at IC3.gov. And if you used a payment app such as Venmo, PayPal or Zelle, you can attempt to dispute the payment or transaction with them too.
If you suspect, or know, that your personal information was compromised you can create an identity theft report at Identitytheft.gov and get a personal recovery plan created there as well. You should also look into signing up for one of the best dentity theft protection services while you're at it, because your data is now exposed to hackers and threat actors who can use it for a variety of malicious purposes.
This is also a good time to go ahead and change all of your account passwords, especially if you gave out any login or personal information. If you're not using one of the best password managers, look into signing up for one of those too – it can make it a lot easier to not only keep track of your accounts and passwords but to keep them protected as well.
Lastly, depending on the circumstances, you may consider also filing a police report.
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