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It's a number one spot no retailer wants: eBay gift cards were the brand most often requested by fraudsters during the first nine months of the year, followed by Google Play, Target and
iTunes cards. That news from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) comes with an urgent reminder: GIFT CARDS ARE FOR GIFTS, NOT FOR PAYMENTS. The cards make great holiday presents, but
scammers use trickery to get them, since they are a ticket to fast cash. KEY POINTS TO KNOW: * Don't ever make a payment or cover a supposed debt with a gift card. * Don't ever
give a stranger the card's serial number and PIN. * Don't ever take a photo of the numbers and send the image to a stranger. ALMOST A QUARTER-BILLION DOLLARS LOST Nearly $245
million in gift card fraud was reported to the FTC between January 2018 and the end of September of this year. The median individual loss was $840. About one in four people who complained
about losing money to fraud said they had paid using a gift card or cards. Certain types of scams seem to lend themselves to illicit requests for gift cards, according to the FTC. Here are
the most common ways gift cards were used fraudulently during the first nine months of the year: * 6,586 business impostor frauds * 4,708 government impostor frauds * 1,790 tech-support
scams * 1,665 romance scams * 1,582 family and friend impostor frauds * 864 fake check scams * 711 prize, sweepstakes and lottery scams PERCENTAGE OF TOP FRAUD TYPES THAT REQUESTED GIFT CARD
PAYMENTS JOINING FORCES WITH RETAILERS The FTC is partnering with retailers nationwide to prevent consumers from losing money to gift card scams. Here's more on the campaign. When eBay
became a hot commodity for fraudsters this year, it knocked Google Play gift cards out of the top spot, the FTC says. eBay, in a statement to AARP, said it is committed to creating services
that are “safe, secure and trustworthy” and that it provides fraud-prevention tips for consumers. Not only are fraudsters specifying the brand of gift card they want, they are also telling
people where to buy them, says the FTC, which identified Walmart, Target, Walgreens and CVS as likely venues. At times, alert store employees have stopped gift card sales, but “scammers work
hard” to prevent that, telling their victims not to reveal why they're buying the cards and even coaching them on what to say if someone tries to intervene, the FTC says. EBAY WARNING:
BE ALERT TO GIFT CARD SCAMS Here’s what eBay told AARP after the FTC said eBay gift cards have been a hot commodity sought by criminals the year. The statement was lightly edited for
length: Criminals often exploit well-known, trusted brand names like eBay to attract consumers and then lure them onto fake websites and into fraudulent transactions. Scam artists will list
items for sale on fake landing pages, Craigslist or other non-eBay trading sites, and promise eBay’s protection as a means of completing the scam, but these transactions don’t take place on
the eBay platform. Key tips for consumers: * If someone asks you to use an eBay gift card to pay for something that is not listed on the eBay site, this is a scam. * Never give or send your
eBay Gift Card code to anyone outside of eBay.com checkout. That’s a scam. * Your eBay Gift Card can only be redeemed at checkout on eBay.com. * Do not use your gift card to pay anyone
outside of the eBay platform. If you’ve been scammed, contact eBay Customer Service immediately and report the matter to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.gov. More tips are on
the eBay Security Center and on our Gift Cards FAQ page.