2025 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Tip – Gift Card Scams
Hackers will try to trick you into buying them gift cards and sending them the codes to activate those gift cards. This scam most commonly starts with a short email or text message pretending to be someone you know. If you respond to the initial message the hacker will try to trick you into purchasing gift cards with the promise of future reimbursement.
Another variation of this scam targets students with a fake job offer. The “job” includes a request to purchase gift cards and send them to the hacker. The hacker promises to reimburse the student for the gift cards as part of their first paycheck.
As you have probably guessed, the hacker doesn’t reimburse their victim. The hacker instead sells the gift cards on various online gift card reselling sites, and the victim loses all of the money they spent on gift cards.
If you receive a message that you think is a gift card scam, please send it to phishing@fairfield.edu. You can also read more about this type of scam on the FTC’s website at https://consumer.ftc.gov/node/77253.
Another variation of this scam targets students with a fake job offer. The “job” includes a request to purchase gift cards and send them to the hacker. The hacker promises to reimburse the student for the gift cards as part of their first paycheck.
As you have probably guessed, the hacker doesn’t reimburse their victim. The hacker instead sells the gift cards on various online gift card reselling sites, and the victim loses all of the money they spent on gift cards.
If you receive a message that you think is a gift card scam, please send it to phishing@fairfield.edu. You can also read more about this type of scam on the FTC’s website at https://consumer.ftc.gov/node/77253.
For more information, contact ITS Security / (203) 254-4069 / itsecurity@fairfield.edu