Gift Card Payment Scam

Regardless of the cover story, many romance scams converge on the same request: payment specifically in the form of gift cards, whose codes can be redeemed quickly and anonymously.

• Asks for payment specifically via gift cards
• Asks for the code and PIN rather than the physical card
• Requests multiple smaller cards instead of one larger payment
• Creates urgency around an emergency that "only" gift cards can solve fast
• Becomes agitated or repeats the request when you hesitate
• No legitimate business or individual should ever ask to be paid this way