Holiday Shopping Scams and Gift Card Scams: How to Spot Them (and What to Do If You’re Hit)

Holiday scams don’t look like scams. They look like a delivery text, a great deal in your feed, or a call from someone who sounds official and needs a gift card right now. This guide covers the shopping scams and gift card scams that show up most this time of year, how to spot each one in a few seconds, and what to do if you’ve already been caught.

There are no product links in this guide. Nothing here costs money; it’s about habits.

How big the problem is

Sources: FTC testimony to Congress, March 2026; FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center 2025 Annual Report. Links at the bottom of this page.

Those are only the cases people reported. Most scams never get reported at all.

Part 1: The 5 holiday shopping scams to watch for

1. The fake “missed delivery” text

What it looks like: “USPS: Your package could not be delivered. Update your address here,” with a link. Versions also claim to be UPS, FedEx or Amazon.

How to spot it: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says USPS will not text or email you unless you first asked for updates with a tracking number, and even then the message will not contain a link. A delivery text with a link that you didn’t sign up for is a scam.

What to do: Don’t click. Check your orders in the store’s own app or by typing the carrier’s website yourself. Forward the text to 7726 (it spells SPAM) to report it to your phone carrier, then delete it.

2. The fake store with unbelievable prices

What it looks like: An ad in your social feed for a brand-name item at 70% or 80% off, from a shop you’ve never heard of. The website looks professional.

How to spot it: Search the store’s name plus the words “scam” or “reviews” before you buy. Look closely at the web address: fake shops often use a real brand name with extra words added. A padlock or “https” only means the connection is encrypted. It does not mean the store is real.

What to do: If you want the item, go to the brand’s own website or a retailer you already know, and compare the real price. Our sister site ShopBuyZones has a guide to telling a real Black Friday deal from a fake one.

3. “There’s a problem with your order” or “Your account is locked”

What it looks like: A text, email or call that seems to come from Amazon, your bank or a big store, saying there’s a suspicious charge, a locked account or a refund waiting. You’re asked to click a link, log in, or “verify” your card.

How to spot it: The message creates panic and wants you to act immediately. The FTC says people reported losing nearly $1 billion to business impersonators in 2025.

What to do: Close the message. Open the store’s app or type its web address yourself, and check your orders there. If it claims to be your bank, call the number on the back of your card. Our guide to recognizing a phishing email covers the warning signs in more detail.

4. You pay, and nothing ever arrives

What it looks like: A hard-to-find toy, concert tickets, or a puppy for the kids, sold by a stranger online. You pay, and the seller disappears.

How to spot it: The seller wants payment by Zelle, a payment app “friends and family” transfer, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards. These are hard or impossible to get back.

What to do: Pay by credit card whenever you can. The FTC notes that if you’re billed for something you never received, you can dispute the charge with your card company. Send a written dispute within 60 days of the first bill that shows the charge.

5. The marketplace buyer or seller who wants to “move off the app”

What it looks like: On Facebook Marketplace, eBay or a similar site, the other person asks you to text them, email them, or pay outside the platform “to save fees.”

How to spot it: Once you leave the platform, you lose its buyer or seller protection. That’s exactly why the scammer wants you off it.

What to do: Keep every message and every payment inside the platform. If they refuse, walk away.

Part 2: Gift card scams

Gift cards are popular holiday presents, and scammers like them for the same reason everyone else does: they work like cash. Once someone has the card number and PIN, the money can be gone in minutes, even if you’re still holding the card. There are three kinds of gift card scams to know.

Scam 1: Someone tells you to pay with a gift card

This is the one covered by the rule above. According to the FTC, scammers pretend to be:

• The IRS or Social Security, saying you owe money or will be arrested
• Tech support from Microsoft or Apple, saying your computer is infected
• Your utility company, threatening to shut off power or heat
• A grandchild or relative in trouble, sometimes using an AI copy of their voice
• Someone saying you won a prize, but you have to pay a fee first
• A new online romantic interest who suddenly has an emergency

They often name a specific store (Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens), stay on the phone while you buy the cards, and then ask you to read them the numbers on the back. If anyone asks you to read them gift card numbers, it is a scam.

If someone calls claiming to be a family member in trouble, hang up and call that person directly on the number you already have. Some families agree on a code word for real emergencies.

Scam 2: Tampered cards on the store rack

Some thieves take gift cards off the rack, record the numbers or swap the barcode, and put them back. When you load money onto the card, they spend it before your loved one does.

• Check the packaging. It should be sealed, with no tears, bends, re-glued edges or extra stickers.
• Check the PIN area on the back. The scratch-off strip should be intact and the PIN hidden.
• Pick a card from the back of the rack, or buy from behind the counter or directly from the brand’s own website.
• Keep the receipt, and take a photo of the card and receipt together.
• Give the card soon, and encourage the person who gets it to use it or register it quickly.

Scam 3: Fake balance checks and “free gift card” offers

Scam websites and texts offer to check a card’s balance, or promise a free $500 gift card for filling out a survey. Their real goal is to get your card number, your login or your personal details.

What to do: Only check a balance on the website or phone number printed on the card itself. Treat every “free gift card” offer as a scam.

If you’ve already been scammed

Move fast. The sooner you act, the better your chances of stopping the money.

1. Paid with a gift card? Contact the company that issued the card right away. Tell them it was used in a scam and ask for a refund. Some can freeze money that hasn’t been spent yet. The FTC keeps a list of gift card company contact numbers. Keep the card and the receipt.
2. Paid by credit or debit card? Call the number on the back of your card and dispute the charge.
3. Typed in a password? Change it right away, on that site and anywhere else you used the same one. Turn on two-step login if you haven’t yet.
4. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For an online purchase scam, you can also report it to the FBI at IC3.gov.
5. Fake USPS text? You can also email it to the Postal Inspection Service at spam@uspis.gov.
6. Gave out your Social Security number or bank details? See our guide to identity theft for the next steps.

Being scammed isn’t a sign that you’re careless. These schemes are run by professionals and are built to catch people when they’re busy and distracted, which is exactly what the holidays are.

The 30-second holiday scam checklist

• Did I sign up for this delivery text? If not, don’t click.
• Is someone asking me to pay with a gift card, wire transfer or crypto? That’s a scam.
• Is the deal far below every other store? Search the store name plus “scam” first.
• Am I being rushed? Real companies give you time to check.
• Can I pay by credit card instead? If not, think twice.
• Can I check this myself by opening the app or calling the number on my card? Do that instead of clicking.