Fake Target Gift-Card Promotion and Balance-Draining Scam
Scammers impersonate Target to promote fake gift-card giveaways, or tamper with physical Target gift cards to drain balances before victims can use them.
Part of: Gift Card Balance-Draining Scams
Last reviewed: 7 June 2026
Target gift cards are a perennial target for two distinct types of fraud. The first is a social-engineering campaign: fake emails, texts, or social media posts promising a free Target gift card in exchange for completing a survey or entering personal details. The second is physical tampering — scammers covertly photograph or record the gift-card numbers and PINs in-store, then monitor those card balances and drain them the moment a purchaser adds funds.
Target does run genuine promotions involving gift cards — for example, 'buy a certain product and receive a $X Target gift card'. These promotions are advertised on Target.com, in the Target Circle app, and through verified marketing emails from @target.com. Offers arriving from unknown senders or external websites are not affiliated with Target.
Physical gift-card tampering is harder for consumers to detect but carries telltale signs. Cards that have had their backing tampered with, scratched PIN areas that look re-covered, or cards sitting loose on a display rather than securely attached may all indicate tampering.
How this scam works on the Target brand
The survey-based variant typically arrives as a text message or appears as a sponsored social media post. It claims Target is giving away gift cards to celebrate a milestone or conduct customer research. Participants are asked to answer several questions, then told they have qualified for a $100 Target gift card and need to enter their shipping address and credit card number to cover a nominal delivery fee. No gift card is ever delivered, and the card number is used for recurring charges.
The physical tampering variant is more sophisticated. Criminals visit Target stores, remove gift cards from the rack, photograph or skim the card number and the PIN hidden under the scratch-off panel (sometimes using transparent tape that re-covers the panel convincingly), and return the card to the display. When a shopper buys the card and loads value onto it, the attacker checks the balance, drains it immediately, and the shopper discovers their brand-new card has a zero balance.
A third variant involves fake Target Circle offers sent by email or text claiming the recipient has earned a large Target Circle bonus that must be redeemed by purchasing a specific gift card.
Common red flags
- A survey promising a Target gift card reward for completing questions — Target does not run cold-outreach survey giveaways
- Payment of a 'delivery fee' or 'processing fee' required to receive the gift card
- The scratched area on a physical Target gift card looks re-covered or the backing shows signs of tampering
- A physical card sits loose on the rack, detached from its original security packaging
- An email offering a large Target Circle bonus from a sender other than @target.com or @e.target.com
- Urgency: 'Your reward expires today — act now'
How to protect yourself
- Buy Target gift cards only from Target's official website, the Target app, or directly from Target store checkout lanes — not third-party kiosks or unfamiliar websites
- When buying a physical gift card, inspect it in-store for any signs of tampering before purchase
- Verify any Target Circle promotions by opening the Target Circle app directly, not by following links in unsolicited messages
- Check your Target gift-card balance immediately after purchase at target.com/giftcards and report any discrepancy to Target Guest Relations
- Never pay a fee to receive a gift card reward — legitimate promotions do not require you to pay anything
How to report it
- Report gift-card fraud to Target Guest Relations at Target.com/help or by calling the number on the back of your Target REDcard
- Report tampered cards in-store to the store manager immediately
- File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Report social media scam ads to the platform (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) using the 'Report Ad' function
Frequently asked questions
I loaded money onto a Target gift card and the balance is already zero. What happened?
The card was likely tampered with before you purchased it. The scammer recorded the card number and PIN and drained it as soon as you added funds. Report this to Target Guest Relations and to the store where you purchased it immediately.
Does Target ever give away gift cards in online surveys?
Target does not cold-contact consumers with survey giveaways via text or third-party social media. Its genuine promotions are found in the Target Circle app and on Target.com.