A Guide to Gift Card Scams
Rebecca shares strategies for college students to identify gift card scams in their workplaces.
A common scam starts with an email that appears to be from a boss, requesting an employee to purchase gift cards as a "thank you" for a visiting client.
One of our clients is visiting us in the office today; we need a gift card to give them as a “thank you.” It’s urgent as they’ll be leaving soon. Could you pick up a few $100 Apple gift cards and send me the codes? I’ll reimburse you later.
The scam relies on the employee's desire to appear diligent and responsive, leading them to spend hundreds of dollars on gift cards without hesitation.
However, once the gift card codes are sent, the cyber attacker instantly redeems them, leaving the employee with a significant financial loss.
Author's summary: Beware of gift card scams in the workplace.