Gift card scams are usually phishing emails that appear to come from someone you know, often somebody you think is important, such as supervisor or senior colleague or a family member with an emergency - asking if you can do them a favor or give "urgent help". It often starts with an email that says, "Available?". The email typically asks you to only use email to respond because the sender is occupied (in a meeting) and currently unable to take calls. The scammer replies to the your response, asking you to purchase gift cards, scratch off the back to reveal the gift card codes, and send pictures of the cards to them via reply email. The person promise to pay you back as soon as they are back in the office! Don't fall for it. Those numbers on the back of a gift card let the scammer immediately get the money you loaded onto the card by purchasing it. And once they’ve done that, the scammers and your money are gone, usually without a trace.
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