Facebook Gift Scam
Facebook Gift Scam - Are you getting a voicemail or text message alerting the IRS to your tax liability and the only way to pay it is by sending an e-gift card? Or maybe a state trooper calls and says you owe hundreds of dollars on a parking ticket and the only way to get it off your record is to call the number on your Amazon gift card and pay the fine.
Source: consumer.ftc.gov
Facebook Gift Scam
If you receive such calls, emails or SMS, please ignore them. They are examples of gift card fraud, where criminals trick victims by tricking or sending gift cards online, or by reading the numbers on the back of gift cards over the phone. Luckily, the different types of card fraud are not that complicated to spot and avoid.
Here are some common gift card scams and steps you can take to avoid falling for them. The thieves behind these scams rely on high-pressure tactics to discourage people from handing out gift cards. The Federal Trade Commission says scammers typically call, text or email victims and tell them they are in financial trouble.
They can claim that the victims have not paid their taxes, are in arrears on their mortgage, owe hundreds of dollars on parking tickets, or are in arrears on utility bills. The scammers threaten to mortgage these victims' homes, imprison them, or subject them to foreclosure if they don't pay.
How Gift Card Scams Work
The scammers then ask victims to buy a gift card or send them an electronic copy of the card or provide the gift card number and PIN. Once they have this information, they use it to buy what they want with the gift card and the victims withdraw the money they spend on it.
Source: thebulldogestate.files.wordpress.com
Scammers can try to scam you over the phone, text, or email with these seven common gift card scams. Here's how to spot and avoid these scammers. In a common gift card scam, the criminal will call, text, or email you urging you to cooperate with the IRS.
The scammer tells you that you owe unpaid taxes and that the IRS will arrest you if you don't pay. The criminal said you should use the gift card to pay off your debt. After purchasing a gift card - scammers typically request a gift card from a specific retailer - call the criminal and read your gift card number and PIN.
The scammer then uses this information to purchase items online using the gift card you purchased. The gift here? First, the IRS will not call, text, or email you about free taxes. The IRS will often send you a letter with a phone number you can call.
How Gift Card Scams Work
Second, the IRS will never threaten to send you to jail for your debts. After all, the IRS will never ask you to use a gift card to pay off debt. Gift card scammers often turn to bots – software applications that perform automated tasks online to siphon gift card balances from unsuspecting consumers.
Scammers can use a bot called GiftGhostBot to verify retailers' online gift card balance checking systems. The bot looks for gift cards that have this system enabled. If the bot finds one, criminals use the gift card number to make purchases themselves, or they sell the gift card information on the dark web.
Source: consumer.ftc.gov
When you use your card you will find that the balance has been used up and the gift card is unusable. A way to avoid this scam? Use your gift card as soon as you receive it, making it less likely for shoppers to discover your card information.
Sometimes the store cashier gets involved in a scam. Suppose you buy a gift card in a department store. The cashier can activate the gift card, but instead of returning it to you, they replace the card with an unactivated card. The cashier then keeps the activated card and does not process your card.
7 Common Types Of Gift Card Scams
Cashback can be used to make purchases with your active card. The best way to avoid this scam? Watch cashiers check you out. They return the gift cards to you once they activate the card. Another popular gift card scam? Thieves, often equipped with a magnetic reader that reads the numbers stored on the gift card's magnetic strip, take multiple gift cards from stores like Walmart or Target.
A thief scans gift cards with readers and stores dozens of card numbers. Instead of displaying fraudulent gift cards again. The scammer then calls the customer service number on the cards and enters the duplicate gift card number. This tells fraudsters whether they have purchased and activated a gift card and how much credit is left on the card.
Scammers can then use the gift card number to shop online, depleting the balance on the card you purchased. Do you want to avoid this scam? Do not purchase gift cards from public display stands in retail stores. Perhaps you want to buy a gift certificate from an online auction site.
Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com
Do not do it. Scammers often sell unactivated gift cards on these sites. You pay for the card - think you're getting a deal, pay less than the card's face value - only to find out the gift card doesn't work. Other scammers lie about the value of gift cards they sell online.
7 Common Types Of Gift Card Scams
You might say the gift card costs $50. You pay for the card, pick it up, and find that it only has $5 left in its balance. Avoiding this scam is very simple: never buy a gift certificate from an online auction site. If you want to buy gift cards online, buy them directly from the seller.
You may receive calls, emails, or text messages from scammers claiming to be entering a lottery or contest. This scam states that you have won a trip, a new car or a cash prize. But to claim the reward, you must first make a payment or claim with the gift card.
The scammer asks you to buy a special gift card, call and read the card number and PIN. This is definitely another scam. No legitimate lotteries, sweepstakes, or businesses require you to pay to receive a prize. And you will not win sweepstakes or sweepstakes you have never entered.
Make sure you pay your monthly bills on time. But one day someone claiming to be your phone agent says they owe you money. If you don't pay immediately, the utility will turn off the electricity or water. And the only way to pay is with a gift card, which the "representative" of the service company will buy for you.
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