Gift cards are ordinary when you pick one up for a birthday or spend one yourself. They turn into a scam payment when someone you did not expect (a caller, a text, an email, or a social media message) tells you to buy a card and send the number or PIN.

The FTC is plain about that request: a person who tells you to purchase a gift card and give them the numbers is running a scam. If a code already went out, stop talking to that person and contact the issuer through its official website or the phone number on the card. Some balances can still be blocked. Recovery is not automatic.

How gift card scams work

The first contact is usually unsolicited. It may look like a phone call from a company, a text about an account, an email with a logo, or a message that appears to come from a friend or relative.

Pressure comes next. The story is urgent: a problem that must be fixed now, an emergency, a locked account, or a prize that expires if you wait. The goal is to keep you from checking the claim through a number you already trust.

Then you are told what to buy. Apple, Google Play, Amazon, and other well-known brands show up often, frequently in a set amount or as several cards. After you pay, the scammer wants the value off the card. That can mean reading the number and PIN on the phone, sending a photo, or typing a claim code into a page from the message. Once the code is exposed, the balance can be spent or resold. Some people vanish. Others say the first card failed and ask for another.

Read the FTC's guidance on avoiding and reporting gift card scams before you act on an unexpected request.

A person you actually meant to gift might be glad to receive a card. A government agency, a business, or a stranger should not require one as payment. Gift cards are not a normal way to resolve a fine, verify an account, pay a bill, or claim a prize.

Red flags that should end the conversation

Walk away from the request if any of these show up:

• The contact is unexpected, and you are told it cannot wait.
• You are pushed to act before you can verify the story.
• You are told to keep the request secret.
• The person names a brand, a dollar amount, or how many cards to buy.
• You are asked for the card number, PIN, claim code, or a photo of the card.
• A gift card is described as the only acceptable payment.
• The message supplies the link, phone number, or payment page you should use.
• A prize is promised, but only after you buy a card or pay a fee.

Caller ID, logos, email signatures, and familiar names do not prove the request is real. If the note appears to come from family, an employer, a retailer, or an agency, end that conversation. Reach the real person or organization through contact information you already have, not through the inbound message.

How to buy and use a gift card safely

Do this before you pay:

1. Verify the request on your own. Call the supposed sender on a number you already know. Don't reply to the original message or use a number the other person just gave you.
2. Buy from the issuer or a trusted retailer. Skip cards offered in unsolicited messages, on unfamiliar websites, or by informal online sellers.
3. Inspect a physical card. Leave it on the rack if the packaging is damaged, the card number is showing, or the PIN covering has been scratched off. The FDIC's gift card guidance also recommends checking that the code has not been revealed.
4. Keep the receipt. Save the receipt, packaging, order confirmation, and card details somewhere secure. Proof of purchase can help the issuer look into a problem later.
5. Read the terms. Look for activation charges, inactivity fees, expiration language, where the card can be used, and whether it can be reloaded.
6. Check the balance on official tools. Type the issuer's web address yourself or use its official app. Don't enter a card number into a link from someone you don't know.
7. Send digital cards with care. Confirm the recipient's email address first. Don't forward a digital code to anyone who is pressuring you to pay.

A digital card is not automatically safer than a plastic one. A compromised inbox or a forwarded message can expose an electronic code. A physical card can be tampered with before you buy it.

Store cards, network cards, and reloadable prepaid cards

These products sit in the same aisle, but they don't work the same way:

Wider acceptance does not make a card scam-proof. A network logo, bank issuer, mobile wallet, or extra security feature also does not make an unexpected code request legitimate. Match the card to the recipient and to the written terms, not to a claim that fraud protection is built in.

What to do if a card was tampered with or has a missing balance

Don't add money to a card that looks altered, and don't share its numbers.

Keep the card, packaging, receipt, and order confirmation. Photograph the packaging and any exposed number or PIN. Check the balance only through the official issuer, then contact that issuer and the retailer where you bought it. Ask how the card was activated and what the transaction history shows. Write down the case number, the representative's name, and the date of each call.

The store may be able to confirm the sale. Balance and fraud questions usually still go to the card issuer.

What to do after sharing a gift card code

Move through these steps in order.

1. Stop sending money

Don't buy another card, pay a "recovery" fee, or keep negotiating. A common follow-up is that the first payment failed, which is how scammers ask for more codes.

2. Contact the card issuer

Use the phone number printed on the card, or the issuer's own website or app. Ignore contact details from the scammer.

Have this ready:

• Card brand and card number
• Purchase date and amount
• Whether the PIN or claim code was shared, and when and how
• Whether the balance has already been used
• Transaction or order number
• The other party's phone number, email address, or account name

Ask whether the card can be blocked, whether any remaining balance can be protected, and what documents are needed to open a fraud case. Give sensitive details only through the issuer's verified support channel.

3. Notify the payment provider when appropriate

If a credit card, debit card, or bank account paid for the gift card, contact that provider too. Its dispute process is separate from the gift card issuer's review.

Describe what happened without overstating it. If a later withdrawal was unauthorized, say that. If you approved the purchase after being deceived, say that and ask what options and deadlines apply. A bank dispute does not automatically reverse the gift card balance.

4. Report the scam

File a complaint with the FTC using its consumer complaint guidance. Include the contact method, dates, amounts, card brand, and any account or phone details you still have.

An FTC report does not guarantee a refund. Complaints do help enforcement agencies spot patterns. If the loss is large or other personal information was exposed, consider contacting local law enforcement as well.

5. Secure affected accounts

Change passwords if you clicked a suspicious link or shared login information. Tell your financial institution if account details were exposed, and watch for unfamiliar transactions. Save messages and screenshots instead of deleting them.

Can you get money back from a gift card scam?

Sometimes, and there is no guaranteed outcome. Calling the issuer quickly can give it a better chance to look at the card and protect value that has not been spent. Expect a request for proof of purchase, the original card, screenshots, and a timeline.

The FDIC notes that consumers may recover all or part of the remaining balance in some cases, sometimes with a fee, and that reporting a lost or stolen card is still worthwhile. What happens next depends on the issuer's terms and the facts.

Federal rules about expiration dates and fees are not the same as reimbursement rules. A card can have consumer protections and still need a separate fraud investigation after someone else received its code.

U.S. gift card rules: what they do and don't cover

For covered gift cards and general-use prepaid cards, U.S. federal rules generally keep the funds from expiring before five years after the card was issued or the funds were last loaded, whichever is later. Fee disclosures and limits on when certain fees can be charged also apply.

Promotional, loyalty, reward, and special-purpose products can be treated differently. State laws may add rules on expiration notices, fees, or small-balance cash-out. The NCSL overview of state gift card laws is a starting point; confirm the current rules where you live and read the card agreement.

Those rules do not mean a scammer's use of a stolen code will be reversed automatically. They also don't put every prepaid or promotional card under the same protections, require a retailer to refund a card because you changed your mind, or let a card work everywhere, including outside the issuer's stated service area.

The return policy, the card agreement, and any fraud investigation are separate. Read the terms before you buy, and keep the receipt if you later need to challenge a missing balance.

If you simply have an unwanted gift card

If no scam was involved, you still have options:

• Spend it on something you were going to buy anyway.
• Ask the issuer whether transfers, refunds, or exchanges are allowed.
• Give it to someone you trust, using the issuer's intended delivery method.
• If you compare resale services, look at payout, fees, identity checks, payment method, and buyer guarantee, not at old figures copied from another site.
• Never send the full card number or PIN to a stranger in a social media message.
• Avoid buyers who overpay, demand a fee, or ask you to buy another card.

A resale marketplace may pay less than face value, and its current terms control the deal.

Common questions

Can a government agency ask me to pay with a gift card?
An unexpected demand to buy a gift card and share its code is a scam warning. End the contact and check the claim through the agency's official website or a phone number you already know.

Is a Visa or Mastercard gift card safer than a store card?
Neither type is automatically safe from fraud. Network cards may work at more merchants. Store cards may fit a specific recipient better. Compare terms, fees, restrictions, and replacement procedures.

What if I shared the code but the balance is still there?
Contact the issuer now and ask whether it can block the card or protect what remains. Don't wait for the scammer to get back to you.

Does the five-year rule guarantee a refund after fraud?
No. Expiration protections are about how long covered funds must stay available. They don't promise reimbursement after you disclose a code.

If someone is asking you to buy a card right now, pause. Call the real person or company on a number you already have. If a code has already been shared, start with the issuer's official fraud channel and the receipt from the purchase.