The use of gift cards as payment method in fraud continues to increase in the United States. Recent data shows that this type of deception not only persists, but maintains a significant economic impact, affecting thousands of people each year.
Millions of dollars lost in scams
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), more than 41,000 fraud reports related to gift cards and prepaid cards were recorded in 2024, with losses reaching $212 million.
Preliminary figures for 2025 point to a similar trend, reflecting that this method is still widely used by criminals.
Why gift cards are the favorite method
Gift cards represent an ultimate tool for scammers due to several key features:
–They have no identifiable owner: they are not linked to a specific account or name.
–They are difficult to trace: once the code and PIN are used, the money disappears without a trace.
–Immediate liquidity: funds can be used instantly, sold online or even converted into cryptocurrencies in a matter of minutes.
–Easy access: They can be purchased in supermarkets, pharmacies or large stores, allowing scammers to guide victims step by step without raising suspicion.
Once the criminal obtains the number and PIN, the money is virtually unrecoverable.
The most common scams that use this scheme
The use of gift cards appears in different types of fraud, among the most frequent:
1. Impersonation: Scammers impersonate entities such as the IRS, Social Security Administration, Amazon or Apple. They claim urgent problems, such as blocked accounts or suspicious charges, and ask to buy gift cards to supposedly resolve the situation.
2. ‘Grandchild in distress’ scam: Targeted at older adults, where someone pretends to be a family member in emergency (arrest, accident, or trouble abroad) and requests urgent money in gift cards.
3. Romantic scams: After building a fake relationship for weeks or months, the scammer invents a financial emergency and asks for financial support through gift cards or irreversible transfers.
The key rule to avoid falling into fraud
Authorities insist on a clear warning: no legitimate company, government agency, public service or technical support will ask for gift card payments.
If someone requests this type of payment, whether by phone, message, email, or in person, it is fraud. The recommendation is to cut off communication, not share information and report the case to the FTC through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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– Why Walmart rejects contactless card payments