Gift Card Scams Are Surging: How to Protect Yourself Now If you get a call, text, or email demanding payment by buying a gift card and reading off the numbers, stop. That is almost certainly a scam. No legitimate business, government agency, or even a distressed family member will ever ask you to pay with a gift card—and the Washington, D.C. Attorney General’s office just reminded residents why it’s critical to stay alert. ...
Gift Card Scams: What the Latest DC Attorney General Alert Means for You Gift cards are a convenient way to give someone a present. But scammers have turned them into a favorite payment method for fraud. In December 2025, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an alert warning residents about the ongoing threat of gift card scams. The alert serves as a timely reminder that this type of fraud persists year after year, costing Americans hundreds of millions of dollars. ...
Gift Card Scams: What to Watch For and How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever received an urgent phone call demanding payment with a gift card, you’re not imagining things—it’s a hallmark of one of the most persistent consumer frauds today. Gift card scams have grown so common that consumer protection agencies across the country regularly issue warnings. In December 2025, Washington D.C.’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb released an alert specifically about these schemes, reminding residents—and by extension, all consumers—that gift cards are meant for giving, not for paying bills or debts. ...
How to Spot and Avoid Gift Card Scams: What You Need to Know Gift card scams are one of the most persistent forms of consumer fraud. In December 2025, the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia issued an alert warning residents about a surge in these schemes. While the alert focused on Washington, D.C., the tactics described are used nationwide and year-round. Understanding how these scams work—and what to do if you encounter one—can save you from losing money that is nearly impossible to recover. ...
Gift Card Scams: How to Spot Them and What to Do Next Introduction Gift cards are a convenient way to give someone a present, but scammers have turned them into one of the most popular payment methods for fraud. In December 2025, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued a new alert warning residents about the continued prevalence of gift card scams and urging consumers to stay vigilant. This article explains what happened, why it matters, and what you can do to protect yourself—or take action if you’ve already been targeted. ...
Gift Card Scams Are Still Everywhere: What to Watch For and How to Protect Yourself Gift cards are meant to be presents for friends and family, not a way to pay the government, a utility company, or a tech support line. Yet scammers continue to pressure people into buying gift cards and handing over the codes. A recent alert from the D.C. Attorney General’s office highlights how common and costly this fraud remains. ...
Gift Card Scams: What the Latest Alert from DC’s Attorney General Means for You Earlier this month, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued a consumer alert warning residents about a spike in gift card scams. While the alert is specific to the District, the tactics described are used nationwide. If you’ve ever received a call, email, or text demanding payment via a gift card, this warning is worth reading. ...
Gift Card Scams Are on the Rise: How to Spot Them and What to Do If You’ve Been Targeted If you’ve ever received a call, email, or text demanding payment via a gift card, you’ve encountered one of the most persistent fraud tactics in use today. Gift card scams cost U.S. consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The schemes keep evolving, but the warning signs remain largely the same. ...
Gift Card Scams Are Surging: Here’s How to Spot and Stop Them Gift cards make convenient presents, but they’ve also become a favorite tool for scammers. In December 2025, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an alert warning District residents about a rise in gift card fraud. The warning isn’t just local—gift card scams are one of the most common types of payment fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) year after year. If you’ve ever received an urgent call, email, or text asking you to buy gift cards for payment, you need to know the red flags. ...
Gift Card Scams Persist: What the D.C. Attorney General’s Recent Warning Means for You Gift cards are convenient presents for birthdays and holidays, but scammers have turned them into a preferred payment method for fraud. In December 2025, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an alert reminding residents that gift cards are for gifts, not for paying unexpected bills, taxes, or fees. This warning echoes similar advisories from consumer protection agencies across the country, and for good reason—gift card scams remain one of the most common and costly types of fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). ...