If a scammer got you to buy a gift card, contact the card's issuer before doing anything else. Ask whether any unused balance can be frozen and whether the redemption can be investigated. Then contact the company that processed your payment. Do both even if you think the money is already gone.

For U.S. consumers, recovery usually turns on two separate events: whether you authorized the purchase and what happened to the card afterward. If you bought the card yourself after an impersonator pressured you, the purchase may be treated as authorized even though the scammer's redemption was not authorized by you. If someone used your card or bank account without your permission, report the payment as unauthorized.

The 60-day credit card billing-error deadline applies to certain credit card disputes. It isn't a universal deadline for every gift card complaint, debit transaction, bank transfer, payment-app payment, or cash purchase. Use the templates below as drafts, and describe only facts that are true.

Identify the problem first

The gift card company handles the card's balance and redemption records. Your bank, card issuer, or payment app handles its own payment-dispute process. One company can't always reverse the other company's transaction.

Act quickly

1. Protect any remaining gift card value

Don't send another card, code, PIN, one-time passcode, or account password. Contact the issuer through the number printed on the card or its official website. Don't use a phone number, link, or email address supplied by the suspected scammer.

Ask the issuer to:

• Freeze any remaining balance, if that is possible.
• Open a fraud or balance investigation.
• Confirm whether the card was redeemed and when.
• Identify the redemption channel or account, if its policy allows that information.
• Give you a case number and a list of required documents.
• Explain whether replacement, restoration, or reimbursement is available under its policy.

The FTC's gift card scam guidance says to contact the company that issued the card right away and report the scam. Speed matters because a scammer may use the value soon after receiving the code. Apple gives a similar warning in its official gift card scam guidance: funds may be spent before you reach Apple Support or law enforcement.

Don't put the complete card number or PIN in an ordinary email. Provide sensitive information only through the issuer's secure form or to a representative you have verified through an official channel.

2. Tell the payment provider exactly what happened

The wording matters. Don't call a purchase unauthorized if you personally made and approved it.

• Credit card: Ask about a billing-error dispute. If the matter may qualify, send the required written notice to the billing-disputes address on your statement.
• Debit card or bank account: Call the bank or credit union immediately and ask how to report an unauthorized electronic transfer or payment error. Regulation E can apply to certain unauthorized electronic fund transfers, but it doesn't automatically make an authorized gift card purchase unauthorized. The NCUA's Regulation E guide describes the general framework.
• Payment app: Open the app's official fraud or dispute process. If a linked credit card or bank account funded the payment, notify that provider too.
• Cash: There is no card issuer to reverse the payment. Contact the seller and gift card company, then report the scam.

If you bought the card after being deceived, use wording such as:

I authorized the purchase, but I did not authorize the person who contacted me to redeem or receive the gift card value.

That is different from saying, "I did not authorize this charge."

3. Report the scam

Report gift card scams through the FTC's ReportFraud portal. For an online or internet-enabled crime, you can also file a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

A report won't guarantee a refund and doesn't replace a dispute with your bank or card issuer. It can still document what happened and help agencies identify related scams.

Email template for a gift card balance or redemption dispute

Send this to the gift card issuer or retailer through an official support channel.

Subject: Gift card dispute for [last four digits or order number]

Dear [Gift Card Issuer or Retailer Support Team],

I purchased a [brand] gift card with a value of [$ amount] on [date] from [store, website, or account]. The order number is [order number], and the card's last four digits are [last four digits].

The accurate description of the problem is:

• I did not make or authorize this purchase.
• I made the purchase after being deceived by a person who claimed to be [relationship, company, or agency].
• I purchased the card for [$ amount], but it shows a balance of [$ amount].
• The card was redeemed even though I did not authorize the redemption.
• The card was not delivered, activated, or loaded as promised.

If a scammer contacted me, the contact occurred through [phone, text, email, social media, or another method] on [date and approximate time]. [I did or did not] share the card number or redemption code. I understand that the purchase and redemption may be treated differently, and I am providing these facts so you can investigate accurately.

Please open a case, confirm whether any balance remains, and tell me whether you can freeze, restore, replace, or reimburse the card under your policy. Please also provide the case number and the documents you need.

I have attached copies of the receipt, order confirmation, balance inquiry, account statement, and relevant communications. I have not included the full redemption code in this email.

Sincerely,

[Full name]
[Account email]
[Phone number]
[Order number or case number]

Add this for a zero-balance complaint

I checked the balance on [date and time] through [official website, app, or store], and it showed [$0 or incorrect amount]. Please review the card's redemption history, place a hold on any remaining value, and tell me whether the redemption occurred before or after my purchase.

Add this when the card wasn't delivered

My order confirmation promised delivery by [date], but I have not received a usable card or code. I contacted [seller] on [dates] and received [no response or response]. Please cancel the order and issue a refund to the original payment method, or explain the available resolution in writing.

Credit card billing-error dispute template

A gift card complaint isn't automatically a credit card billing error. A written dispute may be appropriate when the charge wasn't yours, the amount was wrong, the transaction was duplicated, the gift card wasn't delivered as agreed, or the merchant promised a refund and didn't provide it.

The FTC's credit card dispute guidance says the written dispute must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first bill showing the error was sent to you. That date isn't necessarily the purchase date.

Send the notice to the issuer's billing-disputes address, not only to a general customer-service email. An online message may help create a record, but follow the issuer's instructions for preserving the formal written-dispute process.

Subject: Written notice of credit card billing error for [amount]

To the Billing Disputes Department:

I am disputing a charge of [$ amount] from [merchant name] posted on [date]. The account ends in [last four digits], and the transaction or order number is [number]. The first statement showing this charge was sent on [statement date].

The charge is a billing error because [select and describe only what is true]:

• I did not make or authorize the transaction.
• The amount charged is incorrect.
• The gift card or value was not delivered as agreed.
• The transaction was duplicated.
• The merchant agreed to cancel or refund the transaction but did not do so.

If a scam led me to make the purchase, the accurate description is:

I authorized the purchase with my card, but I was deceived into giving the gift card value to another person. I am asking you to investigate whether this qualifies for relief under your dispute procedures.

I contacted [merchant or gift card issuer] on [date] and received [response or no response]. Please investigate this charge and correct or credit any amount required under your billing-error procedures. Please acknowledge receipt of this notice and tell me if you need additional documents.

Enclosed are copies of my statement, receipt, order information, balance records, and communications. I have kept the originals.

Sincerely,

[Full name]
[Billing address]
[Phone number]
[Account email]

Keep a copy of the letter and proof that the issuer received it. Continue paying amounts that aren't part of the dispute, and follow the issuer's instructions while the investigation is pending.

The 60-day credit card rule

The federal 60-day period is limited:

1. It covers certain credit card billing errors, not every gift card loss.
2. The notice must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill showing the error was sent.
3. The notice should identify the account, amount, date, and reason for the dispute.
4. The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved it.
5. The issuer generally must resolve the dispute within 90 days.

A charge can be authorized even when the surrounding story was fraudulent. If you personally bought the card after an impersonator pressured you, the issuer may conclude that you authorized the payment and received the purchased item. You can still ask the gift card company to investigate the redemption, but a chargeback isn't assured.

If someone stole your card details and bought the gift card without your involvement, report an unauthorized transaction. Don't use that description simply because it may sound stronger.

Refund, chargeback, and gift card recovery are separate

• A refund usually comes from the merchant or seller and goes back to the original payment method.
• A credit card billing dispute is a formal process with the card issuer. The issuer investigates and may reverse or credit the charge under applicable rules.
• A chargeback is a payment reversal handled by a card issuer or payment provider. Its evidence requirements and deadlines can vary by provider and payment network.
• Gift card recovery means the issuer checks its records and decides whether it can freeze, restore, replace, or reimburse the balance.

Ask the seller for a refund when the card wasn't delivered, had the wrong value, or was defective. Contact the payment provider at the same time if a credit card deadline is approaching. Don't wait for a merchant's promise if that could make you miss a written-dispute deadline.

If you receive a full refund, withdraw or update any duplicate dispute for the same amount. If the refund is partial, identify only the remaining disputed amount.

Evidence to collect

Write a short timeline before sending a complaint. Include:

• Purchase date, time, location, and order number.
• Gift card brand, value, and last four digits.
• Receipt and confirmation email.
• Payment statement showing the charge.
• Balance checks from the official website, app, or retailer.
• Screenshots of error messages or a zero balance.
• Emails, texts, phone numbers, social-media messages, and caller details from the scammer.
• Dates when you contacted the seller or issuer.
• Case numbers from the gift card company, bank, payment app, FTC, or IC3.
• Proof of delivery, activation, or redemption if a merchant disputes your claim.

Keep screenshots in their original form and label them by date. Don't send passwords, security answers, one-time passcodes, or the full gift card code unless a verified secure channel specifically requests it.

If you're a merchant responding to a chargeback

Send the response through the payment processor by the processor's stated deadline. The applicable time period varies by processor and payment network.

Useful records may include the order details, delivery confirmation, activation record, redemption timestamp, account or device information permitted by the processor, customer communications, refund history, and the terms shown at purchase. Delivery or redemption can support a response, but it doesn't by itself prove that the purchaser authorized the transaction.

Subject: Chargeback response for transaction [transaction ID]

To [Processor or Acquiring Bank]:

We are responding to the chargeback for [$ amount], processed on [date], for order [order number]. The stated dispute reason is [reason code or description].

Our records show:

• The order was placed through [account or channel] on [date and time].
• The gift card was [delivered or made available] on [date and time].
• The card was [activated or redeemed] on [date and time], if applicable.
• The customer contacted us on [date], and we responded [summary].
• We [did or did not] issue a refund of [$ amount] on [date].

Attached are the relevant receipt, delivery or activation record, redemption record, customer communications, and terms displayed at checkout. We ask that the processor review the evidence and apply the network's rules. We are not relying on an assumption that delivery or redemption alone proves authorization.

Sincerely,

[Merchant name]
[Processor account or case number]
[Contact information]

Don't ask a customer to send a gift card code by unsecured email. Also, don't describe an authorized purchase as fraudulent merely to improve a chargeback position.

Brand and payment-channel reminders

• Amazon: Start from the Amazon account or official Amazon support pages, not from a phone number or email in a suspicious message. Include the order ID, purchase date, amount, and balance evidence.
• Apple: Apple gift cards are intended for Apple products and services. A request to use one for a bill, government fee, technical-support charge, or unrelated demand is a scam warning. Use Apple's official support route.
• Visa gift cards: The Visa logo identifies the payment network. The issuer or program administrator named on the card usually handles balance questions and card-specific disputes.
• PayPal: If PayPal processed the payment, use its official account dispute process. If a linked credit card funded it, notify the card issuer too and keep the descriptions consistent.
• Retail gift cards: Contact both the retailer that sold the card and the brand that issued it when they are different companies.

Be wary of a "gift card recovery" service that asks for an upfront fee, remote access, or another gift card. A second demand for payment may be another scam.

If the issuer or payment provider doesn't respond

Follow up with the gift card company's case number and attach your original complaint. Ask for a supervisor or formal written review, but don't assume that escalation guarantees reimbursement.

If a credit card issuer fails to handle a properly submitted billing-error notice, you can file a complaint through the CFPB complaint portal. Keep communicating with the issuer and save every response.

Report the scam to the FTC even if the issuer says the balance can't be recovered. FTC reports help law enforcement identify scam patterns, but the agency isn't a private refund service.

Frequently asked questions

Can I charge back a gift card bought for a scammer?

You can ask the card issuer or payment provider to investigate, but approval isn't guaranteed. If you personally authorized the purchase, the provider may distinguish between the authorized purchase and the scammer's later redemption.

Does the 60-day deadline apply to every gift card dispute?

No. It applies to certain credit card billing errors when written notice reaches the issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent. It isn't a general gift card refund deadline for debit, prepaid, bank-transfer, or payment-app transactions.

What should I do if the balance is zero?

Contact the issuer immediately with the receipt and an official balance check. Ask whether it can freeze remaining funds or review the redemption. Include the redemption date and time if you have them, but don't send the full code through an unsecured channel.

Should I call the purchase unauthorized if a scammer persuaded me to buy the card?

Not if you made and approved the purchase. Say that you authorized the payment but were deceived into transferring the gift card value. Use "unauthorized" when another person used your card or account without your permission.

Can a merchant refuse every gift card refund?

The result depends on the product, transaction, payment method, merchant terms, and applicable law. Ask the merchant to explain its policy and provide relevant records. You can still ask the payment provider to review a possible billing error.

If you still have any balance, call the gift card issuer now. If you paid by credit card, check the first statement showing the charge and send a written dispute before the 60-day period expires.