Holiday Scammers: Don't Fall for the Gift Card Trick!

Have you ever bought a gift card for the holidays? Scammers love this time of year, so watch out! Here’s how to avoid a common holiday scam:

What is the Scam?

Scammers will call, text, email, or message you on social media. They might pretend to be from the government, a company you know, or even a friend or family member! They’ll create a fake emergency, tell you to buy a gift card, and give them the numbers on the back. Or, thanks to AI voice cloning, they might even sound just like the friend or family member they call pretending to be, asking you to send money to fix their emergency. Please don’t do it!

Spotting the Red Flags:

Urgency: Scammers want you to act fast before you have time to think.
Gift Cards: Gift cards are meant for gifts, not emergencies.
Sharing Numbers: Never give gift card numbers to anyone over the phone or online.

What to Do if You Get Scammed:

Act Fast: Grab the gift card and receipt.
Report it: Contact the gift card company and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You might be able to get your money back!
Beware of Free Offers: Scammers will promise gift cards for your information. Don’t click on any suspicious links.

The Bottom Line:

Gift cards are great for gifts but not for emergencies. If someone asks you to buy a gift card and share the numbers, it’s a scam. Learn more about protecting yourself at ftc.gov/giftcards.

Stay safe, and happy holidays!

####

Larry Marvin

Life Crafter Money $ense

Sources

Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice, https://consumer.ftc.gov/imposters

Federal Trade Commission Report Fraud FTC, ReportFraud.ftc.gov

Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice, Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card Scams https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-and-reporting-gift-card-scams| Consumer Advice

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Larry Marvin

Larry Marvin is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. His career spans over fifty years as a corporate trainer, medical administrator, small business owner, income management coach, and public speaker. He has conducted over 300 workshops, classes, and seminars during his years as a corporate trainer on such topics as budgeting, debt elimination, banking, saving plans, budgeting software, spreadsheets, and investing basics.Larry has conducted budgeting and debt elimination seminars at U.S. Steel and UAB Special Studies.
His passion is teaching and equipping people with the financial knowledge they need to act in the best interest of their money and family.

He is passionate about his faith, has been married to his wife for 54+ years, and has three adult children and fourteen grandchildren.

Larry Marvin is the co-founder and Executive Director of LifeCrafter Foundation.