SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

December 6, 2019

GOOGLE PLAY GIFT CARDS SCAM

Gift cards are popular targets for scammers. Many scammers specifically want payment via Google Play gift cards.

The scam may begin with a phone call purporting to be from the Internal Revenue Service. The caller’s voicemail may say that the victim owes the IRS and that, if not paid, their bank accounts and Social Security would be frozen—maybe threaten an arrest warrant.

With the holiday season approaching, it’s likely that scammers will ramp up their activity even more.

It is important to know that Google Play gift cards can only be used to purchase apps, movies, books, and other video game or app-related purchases through the Google Play store. Don’t be misled. If anyone ever asks you to pay them with a Google Play gift card, it’s a scam.

Five common Google Play gift card scam entry events:

*IRS and government agent imposter

*Tech support

*Family emergency

*Discounted goods or services

*Email requests

Protect yourself and your loved ones. Scammers may discourage you from speaking to or answering questions from store associates, colleagues, friends, or family members.

Scammers may dictate which store you should purchase Google Play gift cards from (e.g., Target, Walmart, CVS, etc.).

Don’t purchase gift cards and share the redemption codes with the requester over the phone or in writing. If you do, your money will likely gone.

You can report a scam to the Federal Trade Commission on its website www.ftc.gov, or directly with Google by phone at the toll-free U.S. phone number (1-855-836-3987).

The bottom line is that any time you are asked to pay someone with a Google Play gift card in exchange for goods or services, it is a scam. It is also a violation of Google Play’s Terms of Service to use Google Play gift cards to pay for anything outside of the Google Play Android app store.

Attribution: Fraud.org

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