Gift Card Romance Scams
Requests for gift card codes as 'help' or 'gifts' — an untraceable way to drain money from victims.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
What this scam is
A gift card romance scam asks you to buy gift cards and share the codes, framed as helping your partner or sending a gift. Gift cards are near-untraceable and irreversible, making them a scammer favourite.
How it works
The partner needs help paying a bill, buying a phone, or sending a present, and asks for popular gift cards. Once you share the codes (often photographed), the value is drained instantly and cannot be recovered.
Common red flags
- Any request to pay via gift cards
- Asks you to photograph or read out the codes
- Urgency and emotional framing
- Repeated 'just one more' requests
Sanitized example messages
Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].
Could you grab a few [brand] gift cards and send me the codes? It's the only way I can sort this.
Payment methods used
- Gift cards
Who is usually targeted
- People in online relationships
- Trusting individuals
What to do immediately
- Stop — no genuine partner needs payment via gift card codes
- Contact the gift card issuer immediately to try to freeze unused value
- Report it and talk to someone you trust
Evidence to preserve
- Messages
- Gift card receipts and numbers
- Card issuer case references
Where to report it
- Action Fraud (UK) — UK national fraud & cybercrime reporting centre
- FTC ReportFraud (US) — US Federal Trade Commission fraud reports
- FBI IC3 (US) — US Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Scamwatch (Australia) — Australian competition & consumer reporting
- Gift card issuer's fraud line — Report immediately — unused balances may be recoverable
Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.
Frequently asked questions
Why do scammers love gift cards?
Gift card codes are easy to redeem or resell, hard to trace, and almost impossible to reverse. A request to pay anyone via gift card codes is one of the clearest scam signals.