Experts warn about holiday season gift card scams

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Scammers have found a new way to play “Grinch” this holiday season.

The Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas said they’ve seen more than a 50% rise in gift card scams just in 2023. They said they expect to continue seeing that growth during the Holiday season.

Data from Capital One Shopping shows more than half of U.S. consumers buy gift cards as holiday gifts.

Experts say scammers are impersonating large companies, government agencies, and even your job asking people to buy gift cards to pay for something they’re claiming.

BBB’s Nicole Cordero said these scams are meant to make you panic and worry something bad might happen if you don’t follow through with the payment.

“You shouldn’t be paying via a gift card for somewhere that’s just not where the store you’re buying from. It’s just a red flag Cordero explained. “Credit cards offer more protection. If there’s something wrong with your order, if it ends up being a scammer that you’re paying, you can have recourse for that.”

She said real companies should never ask you for gift card payments.

One scam recently happened in North Myrtle Beach.

Reports show a man lost $1,000 after he was contacted over social media by someone he thought was a college classmate.

The so-called classmate told him he had just received a government grant of $100,000 and then asked him to provide an American Express gift card for $1,000 as the code of the gift card would prove his identity to receive the money.

Cordero said the scams are designed to scare you into a rash decision. She stated that you can avoid this by looking back and looking at the threat more rationally.

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