If you’re worried, hang up and call your friend or relative to check that everything is all right.

The scammer pretends to be a friend or family member in an emergency and asks you to send money right away - but not tell anyone.

This romance scammer makes up any story to trick you into sending him gift cards. You meet someone special on a dating website, but then he needs money and asks you to help him.Someone calls from tech support, maybe saying they’re from Apple or Microsoft, saying there’s something wrong with your computer.They say you have to pay taxes or a fine, but it’s a scam. The caller says they’re from the government - maybe the IRS or the Social Security Administration.Here’s a list of common gift card scams and schemes: They want to scare or pressure you into acting quickly, so you don’t have time to think or talk to someone you trust. Scammers pretend to be someone they’re not to convince you to pay with gift cards. How Scammers Convince You To Pay With Gift Cards The card number and PIN on the back of the card let the scammer get the money you loaded onto the card. The caller asks you for the gift card number and PIN.And, the caller might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card. Sometimes they say to buy cards at several stores, so cashiers won’t get suspicious. They might send you to a specific store - often Walmart, Target, CVS, or Walgreens. They might say to put money on an eBay, Google Play, Target, or iTunes gift card. The caller usually tells you which gift card to buy.The scammer says you have to pay right away or something terrible will happen. Scammers may tell you many stories to get you to pay them with gift cards, but this is what usually happens: Once they have the gift card number and the PIN, they have your money. If someone calls you and demands that you pay them with gift cards, you can bet that a scammer is behind that call. They’re more like cash: once you use the card, the money on it is gone. But they’re popular with scammers because they’re easy for people to find and buy, and they have fewer protections for buyers compared to some other payment options. Gift cards are for gifts, not for payments. What To Do If You Paid a Scammer with Gift Cards.How Scammers Convince You To Pay With Gift Cards.

Fake app store gift card