Gift Card Scams

Gift card-related scams are becoming more and more prevalent. Through this type of scam, an imposter may send you a fraudulent email that looks as if it is coming from your supervisor or another high-level employee at the University. The messages are usually very simple, with a short subject line such as “Are you available?” or “Are you on campus?”.  After the initial response the imposter will claim to be in a meeting or busy with something else and will ask you to purchase gift cards (such as iTunes or Amazon) and then provide them with the card number and pin or simply a picture of the back of the card. This information allows them to immediately access the money on the card in a way that is most often untraceable

Gift cards should be used for gifts only, not for payment. These types of urgent inquiries for funds or payment in the form of gift cards are not legitimate and should be reported immediately. For additional information on gift card scams including ways to report them, please visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) webpage linked below.

Visit the FTC webpage "Paying Scammers with Gift Cards"