Gift Card Scams: What to Do If You Paid a Scammer With a Gift Card

The Federal Trade Commission's rule of thumb is short: "Only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card, like a Google Play or Apple Card, and give them the numbers off the back of the card. No matter what they say, that's a scam. No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them." If someone on the phone, in a text or online is telling you to buy gift cards right now, stop and hang up.

If you already gave a scammer the numbers, act fast: call the gift card company at the number on the back of the card (or from the FTC's contact list below), tell them a scammer tricked you into giving them the card number and PIN, and ask them to refund your money. Keep the card and the store receipt. No federal law we identified gives you a right to a refund for a gift card a scammer has used, so what you get back depends on the company and on whether money is still on the card when you call.

Information last verified on October 2, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers US federal law (Regulation E's gift card rule at 12 C.F.R. § 1005.20, the Telemarketing Sales Rule at 16 C.F.R. Part 310, and the federal wire fraud statute) and the Federal Trade Commission's published consumer guidance. It does not cover state gift card laws or state rules on retailer warnings, and it does not cover gift card scams outside the United States.

What to do if you paid a scammer with a gift card

Speed matters more than anything else here. Once a scammer has the card number and PIN, they can get the money on the card, and the FTC describes freezes only for money that is still on it. Work through these steps in order, today.

1. Stop paying. Do not buy more cards, whatever reason the caller gives. Hang up and stop replying.
2. Contact the gift card company right away. The FTC's instructions: "Contact the gift card issuer immediately. Use the number on the back of the card. Tell them that a scammer tricked you into giving them the card number and PIN. Ask them to refund your money." Use the number on the card itself or the FTC's list below, not a number the scammer gave you or one from a search ad.
3. Ask whether money is still on the card. For Apple, the FTC says: "Ask if the money is still on the Apple or iTunes gift card. If so, Apple can put a freeze on it." For Google Play: "If the money is still on the card, Google can put a freeze on it."
4. Ask for your money back. The FTC says, "Some companies are helping stop gift card scams and might give your money back. It's worth asking." That is company policy, not a legal right, so ask plainly and write down who you spoke to and when.
5. Keep the card and the receipt. The FTC says to "Keep the gift card and the receipt, if you have it. You may need them to follow up on your claim." If you still have them, photograph both now.
6. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (the FTC also runs ReporteFraude.ftc.gov in Spanish). Our guide to where to report a scam explains what each agency does with a report.

Do not let embarrassment or time stop you. The FTC is direct about this: "Report the gift card scam to the gift card company right away. No matter how long ago the scam happened, report it."

If you paid other people or other ways during the same scam (a bank transfer, a payment app, crypto), each payment method has its own rules and deadlines. Our guide on how to get money back after a scam sets them out side by side.

Gift card company contact list (from the FTC)

The FTC publishes this list of how to reach the companies behind the most common gift cards. The wording below is the FTC's. The FTC page is dated July 2023, and phone numbers can change, so if a number does not work, use the one printed on your card or check the FTC's current list.

For every company on the list, the FTC also says to keep a copy of the card or your store receipt.

Card not listed? The FTC says: "Look for the company's contact information on the card itself or research online to find out how to reach the card issuer. If you can't find the contact information or the card issuer doesn't want to talk to you, report it to the FTC."

How gift card scams work

Gift card scams start with a call, text, email or social media message, and they follow a pattern the FTC describes in detail.

The scammer says it is urgent. "Scammers will say it's urgent," the FTC says, and that something terrible will happen if you do not pay right away. The point is to keep you from stopping to think or talking to someone you trust.

The scammer tells you which card to buy and where. The FTC says scammers "might send you to a specific store," often Walmart, Target, CVS or Walgreens. "Sometimes they'll tell you to buy cards at several stores, so cashiers won't get suspicious. The scammer also might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card. If this happens to you, hang up."

The scammer asks for the number and PIN. This is the moment the money is lost. The FTC explains that "The card number and PIN on the back of the card let the scammer get the money you loaded onto the card," even if you still have the card itself. Sending a photo of the back of the card does the same thing.

Watch out: Holding on to the physical card does not protect the money on it. Anyone who has the number and PIN can use the balance.

The stories scammers tell

The FTC lists the common stories behind gift card demands. The story changes; the demand for gift card numbers is the giveaway.

• Government impersonation. The caller claims to be from the IRS, the Social Security Administration or even the FTC and says you owe taxes or a fine. The FTC says government agencies "never demand payment by gift card." See our guide to government impersonation scams.
• Tech support. The caller claims to be from Microsoft or Apple, says something is wrong with your computer and asks for remote access. See tech support and fake invoice scams.
• A friend or relative in an emergency. The FTC warns: "If the scammer uses voice cloning, they may even sound just like your loved one." Call the person back on a number you already have. Our page on AI voice scam calls covers the cloned-voice version.
• A prize. You are told you won, but must first pay fees with a gift card. See sweepstakes and lottery scams.
• Your utility company. The caller threatens to cut off your service unless you pay immediately.
• Romance. Someone you met on a dating site asks you to buy gift cards. See romance scams.
• An overpayment. The FTC describes it: "Scammers send a check for way more than you expected. They tell you to deposit the check and give them the difference on a gift card." The FTC adds, "That check will be fake and you'll be out all that money." See fake check and money mule scams.

The FTC has also published alerts titled "No, that's not your boss asking you to buy gift cards" and "Discounted phone, TV, or internet services if you pay with a gift card? No, it's a scam," listed on its gift card scams page.

Scammers target everyone, and older adults lose money this way too. If you are helping a parent or grandparent, our guide to elder fraud covers the reporting routes built for older victims.

Drained or tampered gift cards: when the scam happens before you buy

There is a second kind of gift card scam where nobody calls you at all. In a December 19, 2024 consumer alert, the FTC warned: "Scammers sometimes tamper with gift cards in store displays. They might remove the protective stickers from gift cards or even scratch off the back. That way, they can steal the card numbers and PIN. With those numbers, a scammer can get any money you put on a gift card," even without having the physical card.

You find out when the card does not work, or the person you gave it to says it is empty. What the FTC recommends:

• Check for signs of tampering before you buy. The FTC says to make sure "the protective stickers are on the card and that it doesn't look like someone tampered with them. Also check that the PIN number on the back isn't showing." If something looks off, show the card to a cashier or manager.
• Consider another store. "Scammers might tamper with gift cards in batches, so if you see something suspicious on one card, consider looking at a different store."
• Pay by credit card if you can. The FTC says: "You get the most protections when you pay with a credit card. If you run into problems and file a chargeback, your credit card will investigate and you might get your money back."
• Keep copies of the card and receipt. If the card turns out to be empty, the card number and receipt are what you report to the gift card company. "The sooner you report, the better," the FTC says.
• Buy from stores you know. The FTC says to avoid buying from online auction sites "because the gift cards may be fake or stolen."

Can you get your money back? What federal law says

Here is the honest answer: getting money back from a gift card company after a scam is mostly a matter of company policy and timing, not a legal right. Three federal rules come up when people search for an answer, and none of them gives you a refund right for a gift card a scammer drained.

Regulation E's gift card rule covers fees and expiration, not fraud

The federal gift card rule is 12 C.F.R. § 1005.20, titled "Requirements for gift cards and gift certificates." It defines a store gift card this way:

"'Store gift card' means a card, code, or other device that is: (i) Issued on a prepaid basis primarily for personal, family, or household purposes to a consumer in a specified amount, whether or not that amount may be increased or reloaded, in exchange for payment; and (ii) Redeemable upon presentation at a single merchant or an affiliated group of merchants for goods or services." (12 C.F.R. § 1005.20(a)(2))

What the rule actually regulates is dormancy, inactivity and service fees (§ 1005.20(d)), expiration dates (§ 1005.20(e)) and the disclosures that must come with the card (§ 1005.20(c) and (f)). Its text contains no fraud-refund or scam-reimbursement provision. Some cards fall outside the rule's gift card definitions, including loyalty, award or promotional cards and cards issued in paper form only (§ 1005.20(b)).

Gift cards are also carved out of Regulation E's definition of a "prepaid account." Under 12 C.F.R. § 1005.2(b)(3)(ii)(D), the term "prepaid account" does not include a gift certificate, a store gift card, a loyalty, award or promotional gift card, or "a general-use prepaid card as defined in § 1005.20(a)(3) and (b) that is both marketed and labeled as a gift card or gift certificate." So the Regulation E rules written for prepaid accounts do not apply to those cards as prepaid accounts.

The Telemarketing Sales Rule does not ban gift card payments

You may read online that federal law bans businesses from taking gift cards as payment. That is not what the rule says. The Telemarketing Sales Rule makes it a violation to accept, in telemarketing, "a cash-to-cash money transfer or cash reload mechanism as payment for goods or services offered or sold through telemarketing or as a charitable contribution solicited or sought through telemarketing" (16 C.F.R. § 310.4(a)(10)).

Retail gift cards are not named in that ban. The rule's definition of a cash-to-cash money transfer expressly "does not include any transaction that is ... Covered by Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.20, pertaining to gift cards" (16 C.F.R. § 310.2(f)). A "cash reload mechanism" is separately defined in § 310.2(g), around converting cash into a form that can add funds to a general-use prepaid card or an account with a payment intermediary; this page does not classify particular reload products under that definition.

The practical point is the FTC's, not the rule's: a demand for payment by gift card is a scam sign, whether or not a specific federal rule bans it.

Wire fraud is a crime, but it is not a refund route

A scammer who uses phone calls, texts or email to trick you into handing over gift card numbers may be committing federal wire fraud. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1343, a person who devises "any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises," and uses interstate wire communications to carry it out, "shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both."

That is a criminal statute enforced by prosecutors. It does not give you a claim against the gift card company, and a report to the FTC is not a request for a refund; the refund request goes to the gift card company.

If you bought the gift card with a credit card

If you bought the cards on a credit card, call that card issuer as well. The FTC's tampering alert says that if you "file a chargeback, your credit card will investigate and you might get your money back." We have not verified whether card issuers reverse a gift card purchase you made yourself and then handed to a scammer, so treat it as something to ask about, not something you are owed. The federal credit card rules (including the billing-error deadline) are explained on our money-back guide.

How big the problem is

In its Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book for 2024, the FTC reported 41,120 fraud reports in which people said they paid with a "gift card or reload card," with $212 million in reported losses for calendar year 2024. The FTC's loss figures are based on reports in which consumers said they lost between $1 and $999,999, and only 18% of the 2.6 million fraud reports that year named a payment method, so these figures cover only the reports that named a payment method.

When a lawyer can help

For most gift card losses, the first and fastest steps are the gift card company and a report, not a lawsuit. If a large amount is involved or you are unsure of your options, a lawyer licensed in your state can advise on your specific facts. Our guide on when a lawyer helps after a scam covers free and official options.

Related guides

• Scams and fraud: the full guide
• How to get money back after a scam
• Where to report a scam
• Government impersonation scams
• Tech support and fake invoice scams
• Elder fraud
• Utility Scams
• How to Tell if Something Is a Scam

Last updated: October 2, 2026.

This article is general legal information about US federal law as verified on October 2, 2026, not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact the gift card company, the FTC, or a lawyer licensed in your state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it a scam if someone asks me to pay with a gift card?

Yes, according to the FTC: only scammers tell you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers off the back, and no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.

Can I get my money back from a gift card scam?

Sometimes, if you act fast. Contact the gift card company at the number on the back of the card and ask for a refund; the FTC says some companies might give your money back, and Apple and Google can freeze money still on the card. No federal law we identified requires a refund.

Who do I call about a gift card scam?

The company that issued the card, using the number on the card or the FTC's contact list (for example, Amazon at 1 (888) 280-4331 and Target at 1 (800) 544-2943 on the FTC's July 2023 list). Then report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Should I keep the gift card after I was scammed?

Yes. The FTC says to keep the gift card and the receipt because you may need them to follow up on your claim. Take a photo of both.

Is it too late to report a gift card scam?

The FTC says to report it to the gift card company right away, no matter how long ago the scam happened, and to tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

What do I do about a Steam card scam?

The FTC says to report the gift card scam to Steam through Steam Support and to keep a copy of the card or your store receipt. The FTC lists no phone number for Steam.

How do scammers drain gift cards before I use them?

The FTC warned in December 2024 that scammers tamper with cards on store racks, removing the protective stickers or scratching off the back to copy the number and PIN, then take the money once you load it. Check cards before buying and pay by credit card if you can.

Does federal law ban paying with gift cards?

No. The Telemarketing Sales Rule (16 C.F.R. 310.4(a)(10)) bans cash-to-cash money transfers and cash reload mechanisms in telemarketing, and its cash-to-cash definition excludes gift card transactions covered by 12 C.F.R. 1005.20. A gift card demand is still a scam sign.

Does the federal gift card law protect me from scams?

Not directly. 12 C.F.R. 1005.20 regulates fees, expiration dates and disclosures; its text has no fraud-refund provision, and gift cards are excluded from Regulation E's definition of a prepaid account (12 C.F.R. 1005.2(b)(3)(ii)(D)).