Email From Your "Boss" Asking You to Buy Gift Cards — It's a Scam
You received an email that appears to be from your boss, pastor, or someone you know asking you to urgently buy gift cards. The email may say they're in a meeting and can't talk. No legitimate person or organization will ask you to buy gift cards as a form of payment. This is fraud.
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How This Scam Works
Critical Risk — Business Email Compromise
No legitimate organization, employer, or person will ever ask you to buy gift cards as a form of payment or favor. This is always a scam. Gift cards are for gifts, not payments.
You receive an email that appears to be from your boss, a colleague, a church leader, or someone you know. The email says they're in a meeting, can't talk on the phone, and urgently need you to buy gift cards (often Apple, Google Play, Amazon, or Target) and send photos of the card numbers and PINs.
The sender's email address is slightly different from the real person's, or the scammer has compromised their actual email account. The urgency and the personal relationship make victims act without questioning the request. Once you send the gift card codes, the money is gone — it cannot be traced or recovered.
The FTC reports that gift cards are the number one payment method requested by scammers. In 2023, consumers reported losing over $217 million to gift card scams, with a median individual loss of $840. The FBI classifies this as a form of Business Email Compromise (BEC), which cost organizations and individuals over $2.9 billion in 2023.
Red Flags
- Email from your 'boss' or someone you respect asking for a personal favor
- Claims they can't talk on the phone — 'I'm in a meeting'
- Asks you to buy specific gift cards and send photos of the codes
- Creates urgency — needs it done 'right away' or 'within the hour'
- Sender address is slightly different from the real person's email
The defining characteristic is the gift card request itself. No legitimate business transaction, government agency, or personal request involves gift card purchases as payment.
What You Should Do
What To Do
- Do not buy any gift cards
- Contact the person directly by phone (not by replying to the email) to verify
- If it's your employer, report it to your IT department
- If you already sent gift card codes, report to the gift card company immediately
- File a report with the FTC and your local police
How to Verify Legitimately
Call the person who supposedly sent the email using a phone number you already have — not one provided in the email. If it's your employer, walk to their office or call the main company line. The conversation will quickly confirm whether the request is real (it won't be).
Sources
- FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2023 — Gift card scam losses ($217 million)
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2023 Annual Report — Business Email Compromise ($2.9 billion)