11/23/2023 0 Comments Steam card scammersThe scammers frequently stay on the phone with the victims during the entire process, which may take hours and visits to several locations. Scammers typically ask victims to drive to familiar local retailers to buy gift cards, and tell them what kind of gift cards to buy. What instructions do gift card scammers give victims on how to buy gift cards? Others thought they were buying gift cards to evaluate a retailer as a ‘secret shopper.’” The reasons vary by scam. Some people say scammers posing as businesses promised special promotional pricing for phone or TV service if they paid for the first three months with a gift card. They might say you’re in serious trouble with the government and must buy ‘electronic vouchers’ to avoid arrest. If victims ask questions about why gift cards are being used for payment, scammers invent a plausible excuse, such as that the government has recently entered a contract with a gift card company to handle transactions.Īccording to the FTC, “Scammers always have some reason why you need to buy gift cards. This BBB study looks at the scope of fraud involving gift cards as a payment method, the way various cards work, the scammers who exploit them, the efforts to combat the scams and the steps that the industry can take to further tackle this scourge. This study explores the differences between types of cards. The TSR does not currently prohibit the use of gift cards in telemarketing but does forbid the use of reloadable cards - such as Green Dot or Vanilla cards that can be used at ATMs - in these transactions. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states, “Anyone that demands payment by gift card is always a scammer.” In addition, the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) has extensive provisions governing telemarketing. Scammers use this method of payment especially in government impersonation, tech support, and romance scams. It’s nearly impossible to get the money back because gift cards do not have the same protections as credit or debit cards. Whether victims give the numbers over the phone or text a photo of the back of the card, they are essentially handing money to scammers, who may quickly drop the funds into foreign bank accounts. Providing the numbers from the back of a gift card is just like sending cash. In addition, BBB is beginning to receive reports where victims are asked to insert cash into Bitcoin ATMs, and that payment method is a growing concern. As noted in a recent update of a BBB study on puppy scams, scammers now often ask victims to pay through Cash App or Zelle. Gift cards join the list of new methods scammers use to part victims with their money. This enables scammers to quickly steal the money loaded on the cards. Using a variety of excuses, such as a threat of immediate arrest, scammers convince victims to buy the gift card as a payment method and ask for the numbers on the back of the cards. For scams to be successful, crooks need a way to get money from victims. With more people staying at home, gift cards have become even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.īetter Business Bureau (BBB) finds that gift cards have also gained in popularity as a payment method for scammers over the last several years. A recent AARP survey found that two-thirds of the public intended to buy them for the 2020 holiday season. According to the Gift Card Retail Association, they have been the most popular gift for 14 years in a row. WHY DO SCAMMERS WANT GIFT CARDS? Gift cards have become a very large industry, with worldwide sales in the billions.
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