ALERTS

糖心视频 Staff and Faculty Targeted by Gift Card Scams (Apr 22 1:47 pm)

糖心视频 Staff and Faculty are being targeted by gift card scams. Scammers may contact you by SMS, email, or other messaging methods and impersonate someone you know like a coworker, supervisor, manager, or executive to gain your trust.

  • Scammers will say it’s urgent.
    • They will say to pay them right away or something terrible will happen. They don’t want you to have time to think about what they’re saying or talk to someone you trust. Slow down. Don’t pay. It’s a scam.
  • Scammers will tell you which gift card to buy (and sometimes where to buy them).
    • They might say to put money on an eBay, Google Play, Target, or Apple gift card. They might send you to a specific store — often Walmart, Target, CVS, or Walgreens. Sometimes they’ll tell you to buy cards at several stores, so cashiers won’t get suspicious. The scammer also might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card. If this happens to you, hang up. It’s a scam.
  • Scammers will ask you for the gift card number and PIN.
    • The card number and PIN on the back of the card let the scammer get the money you loaded onto the card — even if you still have the card itself. Slow down. Don’t give them those numbers or send them a photo of the card. It’s a scam.

If you are unsure of a situation, verify identities and claims. If you receive an unusual call or message about something high stakes, verify the caller’s identity through a separate, trusted channel.

For more information on protecting yourself from gift card scams, see the FTC's .