Be Aware of Gift Card Scams

A Gift Card Scam occurs when a scammer tricks you into buying prepaid cards or gift cards and then have you share the information on the back of the cards with them. Why? Because they are easy to purchase and nearly impossible to trace or refund and can be treated as cash. The simple truth is that if someone asks you to pay for goods, services, fines, fees, or to "protect your banking details" by buying and sharing gift card details, it's a scam!

The sad reality for this scam is once you've purchased the gift cards there is no going back. There is no hope of refund from the store you purchased them from. Once you've given the card's info to the scammer the cards are cleared of any monetary value, leaving you with a small collection of useless plastic card. There is no way for the bank to dispute these transactions.

It is incredibly important that you and your family know that gift cards should never be used as a form of payment and no legitimate company will ever ask that you pay them with gift cards.