A threatening ‘official’ demands payment. Here are five of the most common threats to look out for: READ ALSO: Watch out for these scams targeting Amazon customers Top attack tactics to watch out forĪs mentioned, cyberscammers have a range of tactics at their disposal. The cards were stolen from online discount card shop Cardpool and could be traced back to thousands of brands – including AirBnB, Amazon, American Airlines, Chipotle, Dunkin Donuts, Marriott, Nike, Subway, Target and Walmart. In one recent case, a threat actor tried to sell a trove of 900,000 such cards with an approximate value of US$38 million on a dark web site. This has turned gift cards into a hot commodity on the cybercrime underground. There’s no need for a scammer to provide a bank account for payment – they just need the gift card PIN/code. Just like cash, once the balance on the card is gone, it’s gone. There are fewer protections than if the buyer were using regular payment cards. Most retailers and big-name brands now offer some form of gift card. They’re easy for consumers to purchase, online or in-store. They’re a near-ubiquitous store of money that can be used to buy a huge range of goods and services. In a lot of ways, gift cards are popular with cyber-criminals for the same reason they’re popular with consumers. RELATED READING: The triangle of holiday shopping: Scams, social media and supply chain woes Why are gift cards popular with scammers? Whatever the scam, get familiar with these tactics to stay safe online this holiday season. In other cases, the fraudsters will impersonate officials, demanding payment via gift cards. 
Some scams will use the cards themselves as a lure to trick you into handing over sensitive personal and financial information.
Needless to say, the popularity of gift cards hasn’t escaped the notice of cybercriminals and online fraudsters, who’ve developed a whole underground industry focused around gift cards. In fact, they’ve become a huge global market projected to grow at a rapid clip over the coming years to reach a staggering US$2 trillion by 2027. Gift cards are an increasingly popular choice, which means you might well be buying or receiving them during the festive period. It’s that time of the year again, when we’re all online looking for presents to give and receive. It often pays to look a gift horse in the mouth – recognizing these types of gift card fraud will go a long way toward helping you stay safe from this growing threat not just this holiday season
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