Scam Secrets Could You Grab Me Some Gift Cards?
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Dec 25, 2025 Paul Maskell, a strategic fraud prevention lead at UK Finance, dives into the dark side of gift cards as a criminal tool. He reveals alarming trends, including over £13 million stolen through these scams in 2023. The discussion highlights how scammers exploit authority and urgency to manipulate victims, exemplified by Sarah's harrowing story. Maskell explains why gift cards are so appealing to criminals and shares practical advice on protecting oneself, like limiting public information and educating employees about scam tactics.
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Intern Tricked Into Buying Gift Cards
- Sarah, an intern, was asked by a fake boss to buy Google Play cards and text the codes while he was 'in a meeting'.
- She spent £1,400 of her own money before realising the request was a scam and sent the codes to criminals.
Authority And Urgency Create A 'Hot State'
- Scammers exploit authority and urgency to stop targets questioning unusual requests.
- Elisabeth Carter calls this a 'hot state' where new hires feel unable to challenge senior figures.
Gift Card Codes Are Like Cash
- Gift cards are front-loaded cash equivalents: once you give the code it's effectively handed over like cash.
- Alex Wood and Shari Vahl emphasise that the scraped-off code lets criminals access full value instantly.