high severity30 January 2026· Global
Warning: Any request to pay by gift card is a scam
Across tax, tech-support, romance and prize scams, scammers keep demanding payment in gift cards because the codes are untraceable and irreversible.
A request to pay anyone in gift cards — for a tax bill, a fine, a fee, tech “support”, a job, a prize, or a relationship — is one of the clearest scam signals there is. Once you share the codes, the value is drained instantly and is almost impossible to recover.
No legitimate business, government agency, bank, or employer asks to be paid in gift cards. If you're asked to buy cards and read out or photograph the codes, stop.
What to do
- Treat any gift-card payment request as a scam — full stop
- Never share gift-card numbers or PINs with anyone who contacts you
- If you've paid, call the card issuer's fraud line immediately
- Report it to your national fraud service