All scam alerts
high alert · August 19, 2026
Gift Card Payment Demands
No real business, utility, or government agency will ever ask you to pay with a gift card.
If someone tells you to buy gift cards and read the numbers on the back over the phone, it is a scam every single time. The money is gone the moment the numbers are shared.
What to do:
1. End the call. 2. Do not go to the store. 3. Tell one person you trust what just happened. 4. Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.