Gift card guide

How to avoid gift card scams

A gift card code works like cash, and once it is spent it cannot be traced or taken back. That is why scammers ask for them. These rules keep you safe.

Written by the Niceway Help teamUpdated 2 min read
On this page
  1. The one rule
  2. How these scams work
  3. Warning signs
  4. Buy and use codes safely
  5. If you have shared a code
  6. What Niceway never does

The one rule

No real organisation asks to be paid in gift cardsNot the tax office, the police, your bank, a delivery company, an energy supplier or tech support. If someone asks you to pay with gift card codes, it is a scam.

How these scams work

  • An urgent bill. Someone says you owe a fine, tax or bill and must pay today with gift cards.
  • A friend in trouble. A message from a ‘friend’ or relative with a new number asks you to buy cards for them.
  • Tech support. A pop-up or call says your computer is infected and asks for payment in gift cards.
  • Online selling. A buyer or seller asks to be paid in gift card codes instead of a normal payment.
  • Romance and prizes. Someone you met online, or a prize you have ‘won’, needs gift cards to release money.
  • Fake support. Someone claiming to be from Steam, a console maker or Niceway asks you to read out a code ‘to check it’.

Warning signs

  • You are told to keep it secret or act right now.
  • You are asked for the code, or for a photo of the card.
  • The person does not want you to check with someone you trust.
  • A deal looks too good, such as codes sold far below their face value on a marketplace.

Buy and use codes safely

  • Buy from the store itself, or from a seller that shows who it is and how to reach it.
  • Redeem the code yourself, on your own account, soon after you buy it.
  • Never give a code to someone you have not met so they can ‘redeem it for you’.
  • Keep the receipt and order number until the money is in your account.

If you have shared a code

  1. Contact the store that issued the card straight away – Steam, PlayStation or Xbox support, for example. If the code has not been spent, they may be able to block it.
  2. If you bought it from us, contact us with the order number.
  3. Report the scam to the police or your national fraud reporting service.
  4. Keep the messages and the receipt as evidence.
  5. If you paid with a bank card, tell your bank.

Be wary of anyone who then offers to recover your money for a fee: that is often a second scam.

What Niceway never does

  • We never ask for a gift card code – by email, phone or chat.
  • We never ask you to pay for anything with gift cards.
  • We never ask for your password or sign-in codes.