If you have fallen into the hands of scammers involving Apple Gift Cards, App Store & iTunes Gift Cards, or Apple Store Gift Cards, you can immediately call Apple at 800-275-2273 (U.S.) and say “gift cards” when prompted. Today, my main aim in writing this article is to make everyone aware of such scams. By reading this article till the end, I am sure you will not become a victim of such scams. Here, I am going to share some great tips which can help you in protecting yourself from Apple Gift Cards Scam.
How Apple Gift Cards Scam Is Pulled Off?
You get a phone call from someone pretending from a government agency, like the Social Security Administration, or maybe from the tax department, debt collection. They scare you by saying your bank account will be frozen for an investigation and ask you to buy gift cards to avoid getting arrested. This is just a small list but scammers out there have lots of tactics to make you fool. According to FTC, some of the other string of scams that are taking place are:
- You get a phone call or a mail sometimes from someone claiming to be from Apple. They claim there’s a security problem with your Apple account, and the only way to resolve it is to buy gift cards and send the caller pictures of the backside of the card.
- As soon as you provide your gift card number to an unknown person, and even any sort of security code that’s present on the card, the scammer can easily access those funds.
After reading this I am sure most of you are wondering ahh I am not a fool who can fall to such silly things. But imagine that moment when you hear your bank accounts could be locked, or you could be arrested. Terrified! Right, but it is better to be fully prepared for such situations.
Also Read: 4 Ways To Fix “iPhone Is Disabled Connect To iTunes” Error
How to Avoid Apple Gift Card Scams
It is very important to know some facts about the retailer’s policies. Here, we are talking about Apple Gift Card but this information is applied to every retailer like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Google play.
Apple Gift Cards and App Store & iTunes Gift Cards can be used only to buy goods and services from Apple — including from Apple Retail Stores, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books, for subscriptions to Apple services like Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple Arcade, or for iCloud storage. These Gift Cards can be redeemed only on the Apple Online Store and at Apple Retail Stores. If you’re asked to use the cards for any other payment, you are very likely to be the target of a gift cards scam and without waiting you should immediately report it to your local police department as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
The best advice to avoid gift card scams is to understand that no legitimate business or government agency will demand payment via gift cards. If at any moment you have any doubt, just hang up on the caller and block them from emailing or texting you. But, of course, keep their messages or call recording for future proceedings with FTC. Even you are saved from that scam call, it is always recommended to inform your nearest FTC and your state attorney general. This small complaint can save hundreds of innocent victims from falling into that scam.
Also Read: How To Set Up Apple Pay In 2021?
Tips To Avoid Apple Gift Cards Scam
- Always keep your Gift Card with you and never allow the unknown person to know the numbers on the back of a Gift Card. Once those numbers come to the scammers, then before you can take any action those funds on the card will likely be spent in a moment.
- It is very important to know that if you are not buying an item from Apple Store, iTunes Store, App Store, Apple Books, or for an Apple Music subscription or iCloud storage — then there is no need to make a payment with an App Store & iTunes Gift Card, or Apple Store Gift Card. These are the only instance where you’ll ask to pay from Apple.
Hope this article helps you in avoiding such Apple Giftcards Scam. Please share your experiences and tips to help others in the comment section. Thanks for Reading.
