Don’t Fall For Scams Involving iTunes Gift Cards This Holiday Season

By THC Staff | October 7, 2016

 

Scammers are now using iTunes gift cards to swindle people out of their money. Channel 2 News in Houston spoke with Curtis Mayfield who wants others to learn from the big mistake he recently made when he received a call that was too good to be true.

A man called Mayfield’s cell phone saying Mayfield could receive a government grant for $7,000, but it requires some payment to get it. For a price of $500, Mayfield thought he would gain thousands in his account.

The scammer said the payment should be made via iTunes gift cards. Mayfield read out the code on the back of the cards he purchased at Walgreens, but he eventually realized his pay day wasn’t coming.

“They got me for at least $1,750,” Mayfield told Channel 2. “And I’m on disability.” The gift cards are not trackable, so Mayfield will not get his money back.

Scams using iTunes gift cards can take on many forms. Houston Better Business Bureau employee Susan Burdick says, “A lot of times, they’ll pretend they’re a debt collector or they’re the IRS calling and they’re telling the consumer they can go ahead and buy the iTunes gift card and give them the PIN off the back and that way it’s completely untraceable.”