Ever feel like your inbox and phone are a minefield of scams? Me too! As a graphic designer at Broadcat, I spend my days thinking about clear communication and avoiding compliance mishaps. You’d think I’d be scam-proof, right? Wrong! I nearly got snagged by a classic, yet sneaky, scam: the text gift card scam.
You might be wondering, “What in the world is a text gift card scam?” Let me break down the version that almost had me handing over my hard-earned cash:
- It starts with a text message, seemingly from someone in authority – in my case, my CEO.
- This “boss” texts you saying they urgently need your help. The hook is set! They then ask you to buy Text Gift Cards from a store – often for hundreds of dollars – and scratch off the security codes.
- Next, they request you to send photos of the scratched-off codes. Once they have these, they have access to the funds on the text gift cards. They promise reimbursement and praise your helpfulness.
- The Plot Twist (that’s not really a twist anymore, is it?): You’re never repaid! You’ve been scammed out of your money, and potentially exposed your workplace to risk depending on what information you shared in the process of getting those text gift cards.
…And yes, I almost fell headfirst into this trap! 🤦🏻♀️
Want to hear the embarrassing details? Let me walk you through my near-miss from last October. I’ll share what I did right (spoiler: not much at first) and what I definitely should have done. Hopefully, my story will give you a chuckle and, more importantly, equip you to spot and avoid text gift card scams if one ever slides into your texts.
A portrait of Stańczyk the court jester with the text,
That’s exactly how I felt for the rest of the day. | Source: jegersimen via tenor.com
So, what exactly happened in my text gift card saga?
Picture this: a chaotic morning. I was juggling pet-sitting duties, rushing to a doctor’s appointment, and trying to make it to work before noon. Grown-up life at its finest, right? 😊
Somewhere between furry friends and the doctor’s office, my phone buzzed. A text from “Alex,” our CEO, popped up. He was supposedly in a conference, couldn’t chat on the phone, but needed my urgent help.
Except, it wasn’t Alex. It was a text gift card scammer in disguise!
Dun dun DUNNNNN…| Source: nick.com
I believed this imposter for way too long. Why? Because I skipped a crucial first step when dealing with unexpected texts, especially those requesting text gift cards.
Tip #1: Verify the Sender’s Phone Number
Getting a text from our CEO isn’t totally out of the blue at Broadcat. We’re a small team; communication is pretty direct. It’s not like I’m expecting Jeff Bezos to text me about urgent text gift card needs (though, is he even CEO anymore? Bo Burnham’s song reference is dating me here).
Editor’s Note: That song is definitely NSFW. Office ears, beware.
However, a quick glance at the phone number could have saved me from this whole ordeal. A legitimate request for text gift cards from your CEO via text is already unusual, but verifying the number is your first line of defense. ☎️
But sleepy, pre-doctor’s appointment me completely missed this. I was anxious and secretly hoping for a quiet morning. But a text from “Alex” meant urgency! What could it be? A presentation tweak? A Broadcat logo emergency? We have cute Broadcat images for days! Like these! And that’s when I made mistake number two…
Tip #2: Resist the Urge to Immediately Respond
I texted back “Not-Alex,” even suggesting he ask Rachel or Joey for help instead. Major facepalm moment. 😔 Not only did I confirm engagement with the text gift card scam, I handed over two more coworker names for them to target next!
Despite me mentioning my doctor’s appointment and being out of office, “Not-Alex” plowed ahead, asking if I could swing by a store – any store – to pick up some text gift cards for a “presentation.”
Fry from Futurama narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
Source:fox.com
Okay, alarm bells were starting to ring. It felt weird for Alex to ask this, but my brain was making excuses. Maybe he missed my OOO message. Maybe since I was already out, I was the “convenient” choice for this text gift card run. My logic was seriously malfunctioning.
And the text gift cards for a presentation? Perhaps they were for an upcoming in-person meeting (ignoring our own job aids that scream text gift cards are basically cash and not gift material!).
A massive audience of people face palming from the Naked Gun.
My brain was definitely running on fumes that morning. | Source: Paramount Movies
So, there I was, at Walgreens at 9 AM, sending pictures of the text gift card rack to “Not-Alex.” Just so he could see what was available, of course! Which leads to another crucial point regarding text gift card scams:
Tip #3: Never Send Photos or Click Suspicious Links
Photos and links are gateways to data breaches and malware. Thankfully, no links popped up in this text gift card scam attempt (yet). But at the rate I was going, this scammer could have extracted a lot more than just text gift card funds from me and Broadcat. All because I wasn’t fully present for ten minutes. Yep, the whole thing unfolded in just ten minutes. Ten minutes away from potentially losing money and compromising security.
It wasn’t until “Not-Alex” requested five $100 Apple text gift cards, asked me to scratch off the codes, and send photos that my brain finally fully rebooted. Reimbursement promised, naturally. That’s when the giant red flag waving “TEXT GIFT CARD SCAM!” finally hit me.
Standing in front of that gift card display, I finally looked at the phone number. (TIP NO. 1, PEOPLE!) It was different from Actual-Alex’s saved contact. My brain cells reconnected, and I remembered a project I’d worked on about… you guessed it… text gift card scams! Specifically, how to protect data from imposters.
I quickly texted the real Alex, asking if he was suddenly using a new number to request text gift cards. Thankfully, he replied almost instantly, confirming my suspicions. Scam confirmed! Luckily, I hadn’t bought the text gift cards yet (huge relief, because refunds on scratched cards are a nightmare).
But, plot twist in my own story, there’s one more regret… ⬇️
Tip #4: Screenshot Everything
Thinking I’d outsmarted the text gift card scammer, I sent a sassy reply letting “Not-Alex” know I was onto them and no text gift cards were coming their way! Then, in a moment of digital over-enthusiasm, I deleted the entire conversation and blocked the number. Bye-bye, scammer!
Agnes from Despicable Me peeking out from a cardboard box labelled
Source: Despicable Me
Big mistake. When the real Alex and other Broadcat folks asked if I had screenshots of the text gift card scam attempt, I had nothing. Poof! Gone. No evidence for investigation because I went full Marie Kondo on the conversation. I didn’t have data recovery set up on my phone then (you bet I do now!). They had to rely on my memory to piece together what info I might have given the text gift card scammer.
However, amidst my blunders, I did manage to do one thing right:
Tip #5: Report Suspicious Activity Immediately
Telling Alex right away about the suspected text gift card scam was crucial (literally, the only thing I nailed from the start).
Because I spoke up fast, Alex could alert the rest of Broadcat about the imposter and the text gift card scam attempt. Later that day at work, embarrassment aside, I was relieved and reassured by everyone’s understanding (huge thanks, Broadcat team! 🙏). And now, I’m significantly more scam-aware, especially when it comes to text gift card scams.
Tip #6: Stay Updated on the Latest Scam Tactics
Let’s face it, scammers are getting smarter and sneakier than ever. 👹 Gone are the days of obvious “You’ve won an iPad!” pop-ups and robotic “IRS” phone calls. Scams are constantly evolving, adapting to our digital habits. If you’re not vigilant, you could easily become the next target, just like I almost was with this text gift card scam. If you suspect a scam, remember: (1) stay calm, (2) double-check contact info, (3) don’t respond or click links, (4) screenshot everything, and (5) report it immediately.
Stay safe out there, and watch out for those text gift card scams!
