You Bought an Amazon Gift Card for a Scammer. Now What
Only scammers tell you to pay with a gift card. Here is what that call was, what to do now, and who to tell.
Someone told you to buy an Amazon gift card. They said it was urgent and you had to pay right away. So you bought a gift card and read the numbers off the back. Now the money is gone, and you feel sick. Take a breath. Here is what that call really was, and what to do now.
How the Amazon gift card scam works
The FTC says gift card scams start with a call, text, email, or social media message. Someone reaches out with a story and a demand. The demand is always the same at the end: buy a gift card, then give them the numbers off the back.
The FTC is blunt about this. Only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers. No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them. If that happened, it was a scam, full stop. There is no version of this call that is real.
The stories scammers use to get you to buy the card
The story changes, but the ask never does. The FTC says scammers will say almost anything to get you to buy gift cards and hand over the card number and PIN codes. A few versions show up again and again.
Fake tech support. The FTC says scammers say they are from tech support, like Microsoft or Apple, and that something is wrong with your computer. They ask for remote access, then say to pay them to fix it.
A family emergency. The FTC says scammers pretend to be a friend or family member in trouble. They ask you to send money right away but not tell anyone. The FTC says a scammer using voice cloning may even sound just like your loved one. If you are worried, the FTC says to contact the friend or relative directly and check that everything is all right.
A prize you "won." The FTC says scammers say you have won a prize, but first you must pay fees or other charges with a gift card. No honest business or agency will ever make you buy a gift card to collect a prize.
Why scammers tell you where to buy the card
The FTC says scammers will tell you which gift card to buy and where. They might send you to a specific store, often Walmart, Target, CVS, or Walgreens. The FTC says they sometimes tell you to buy cards at several stores so cashiers will not get suspicious.
The FTC also says a scammer might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card. That is not an accident. The FTC says scammers do not want you to have time to think about what they are saying or talk to someone you trust. If a caller will not hang up while you shop, that is a red flag on its own.
The FTC's guide says gift cards are for gifts only, not for payments. That one line is the whole test. Any "payment" by gift card is a scam.
What to do right now if you bought a card and gave the numbers
Here is the order.
1. Report it to the gift card company right away. The FTC says to report the gift card scam to the gift card company right away, no matter how long ago the scam happened. So even if this happened weeks or months ago, make this call today. The FTC says to ask for your money back. Some companies are helping stop gift card scams and might give your money back. The company decides. Nobody can promise you a refund, but asking costs nothing.
2. Call Amazon. The FTC says to call Amazon and follow Amazon's instructions. The FTC also says to keep a copy of the Amazon gift card or your store receipt.
3. Save your evidence. The FTC says to always keep a copy of your gift card and store receipt. Do not throw the card away.
4. Tell the FTC. File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC says every report makes a difference.
How to report the scam to Amazon, the gift card company and the FTC
Three reports, three places. Do not skip any of them.
The gift card company. This is your first call. Report the scam and ask for your money back. The FTC says to do this right away, no matter how long ago the scam happened.
Amazon. Call Amazon and follow Amazon's instructions. The FTC also says to visit Amazon's website to learn about scams. Our page on the email scam PayPal covers how fake invoice emails work.
The FTC. Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. This report will not pull your money back, but the FTC says every report makes a difference. If you want to go deeper on reporting, see our guide on how to report scam calls.
How to spot the scam before you pay next time
The test is simple. The FTC's guide says never to buy a gift card because someone tells you to buy one and give them the numbers. Hang up the moment you hear it. The FTC says no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.
Other warning signs from the FTC:
- The caller says it is urgent and you must pay right away or something terrible will happen.
- The caller tells you which store to go to, or sends you to several stores.
- The caller stays on the phone while you shop.
- The caller tells you not to tell anyone.
- The caller asks for the numbers off the back of the card, or a photo of the card. The FTC says never to do either.
If a caller pressures you, hang up and call the company yourself using the number on your bill or its real website.
Help your parents or an older relative
Sit down with your parents and give them the one rule: no real company or agency will ever ask for a gift card. Tell them that if a caller says to buy one, they should hang up and call you. Remind them that a scammer can sound exactly like a family member, so any urgent money request gets a call back on a known number. Our overview of the gift card scam has more you can share with them.