Gift cards are meant for presents. In a scam, they become a payment method that is hard to trace and easy to hand over by phone. Consumer agencies on both sides of the Atlantic warn about the same pattern: an urgent story, a specific card to buy, and a request to read out the numbers. This guide summarises published advice from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), UK Finance’s Take Five campaign and a UK trading standards alert, with the jurisdiction stated in each section. It is general information, not legal advice.
How the scam works
The FTC explains that scammers make contact by phone, text, email or social media and rely on three tactics. First, they create urgency, saying that payment is needed right away or something terrible will happen. Second, they tell the victim which cards to buy, such as Google Play, Apple or Amazon, and sometimes accompany them to a store. Third, they extract the numbers: as the FTC puts it, the card number and PIN on the back let the scammer take the money loaded onto the card. Once those details are shared, the funds can be used immediately.
The stories used in the US
The FTC lists common scenarios, including impersonation of government agencies such as the IRS or Social Security, tech support fraud posing as Microsoft or Apple, fake emergencies involving a loved one, prize and sweepstakes claims, utility company threats, romance scams and counterfeit-check schemes. In its wider guidance on avoiding scams, the FTC names four warning signs: impersonation of a government body or known business; a false problem or prize; pressure to act before there is time to think; and a demand for payment by cryptocurrency, wire transfer, payment app or gift card. Its message is that honest businesses will give people time to decide.
The stories used in the UK
A trading standards alert published by the London Borough of Bromley on 17 January 2024 describes a version aimed at UK residents: criminals impersonate friends or family by email and say they need help buying gift cards, offering excuses such as being away, busy or having problems with their own card. They ask for the serial numbers or for digital cards to be sent to different email addresses, promising to repay the money, which never arrives. The alert says the cards are difficult to trace and can be used to launder money. Its advice is to stop and take five before responding, and to call the person directly to check their identity, telling them their account may be compromised so they can change their passwords. The scam is close to the messaging fraud in our guide to “Hi Mum, Hi Dad” messages.
Why the request itself is the warning sign
Take Five to Stop Fraud describes advance-fee fraud as a criminal contacting someone by text, email or social media and convincing them to pay an upfront fee for goods or services that never materialise, with targets including job applicants, loan seekers, inheritance claims, prizes and delivery fees. It says legitimate opportunities do not normally require upfront payments, and it recommends a three-step response: stop and think before parting with money or information; challenge by asking whether the request could be fake, remembering that it is fine to reject, refuse or ignore any request; and protect by contacting your bank at once if you think you have been scammed. That framework fits gift card demands well, because the choice of payment method is itself part of the story being sold. Our guide to impersonation scams covers who scammers pretend to be.
If a card number has been handed over
The FTC advises contacting the gift card company immediately, using the contact details it provides, and keeping the card and receipt as records. It also advises reporting to ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US, and, as prevention, buying cards only from trusted retailers, checking packaging for tampering, and photographing both the card and receipt. In the UK, the Bromley alert lists these contacts: forward suspicious emails to [email protected], call 159 to reach your bank, call Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133, and report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (DVLA says Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud on 12 December 2025, so current reporting details should be checked). Take Five points people to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. Our guide to reporting a scam explains the current routes in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Would a genuine organisation ever ask for a gift card? The FTC lists gift card payment demands among the warning signs of a scam, and Take Five says legitimate opportunities do not normally require upfront payments.
What should be done first if numbers have been shared? Contact the card issuer straight away and keep the card and receipt, as the FTC advises.
Is this only a US problem? No. The Bromley trading standards alert shows UK residents being targeted with gift card requests that appear to come from friends and relatives.
The bottom line
A demand for payment by gift card is a recognised scam signal on both sides of the Atlantic. The safest response is to stop, verify the request through a channel you already trust, and contact the card issuer and your bank quickly if any details have been shared.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, “Gift Card Scams”
- Federal Trade Commission, “How To Avoid a Scam”
- London Borough of Bromley, “Trading Standards alert: Scam warning – Friends and relatives asking for gift cards out of the blue?”
- Take Five to Stop Fraud, “Payment in advance scams”
- GOV.UK, “DVLA’s top tips for avoiding scams”