Why Every Scam Eventually Asks for a Gift Card
Fraudsters did not choose gift cards by accident. They are the closest thing to untraceable, irreversible, remotely collectable cash available to the general public.
Fraud & Risk
How the scams are actually run, how cards get drained before you buy them, and what recourse exists once the money is gone.
4 guides in this subject
Card Draining: How a Card Is Emptied Before You Even Buy It
The most effective attack on gift cards happens in the shop, on the display rack, days before you pick one up. Nothing you do after purchase prevents it.
Protecting a Card You Already Own
Once the card is in your hands, the threat model changes. A short list of habits covers almost everything that goes wrong from here.
The Money Is Gone: What Recourse You Actually Have
Recovery odds are worse than most people expect and better than nothing. What matters is the order you do things in, and the first hour.