Gift card scams: how to spot them and protect yourself

Gift cards are convenient — and that is exactly why scammers like them: a code works like cash, and once it has been used, the money is gone. Most schemes rely on the same few tricks. Here is how to recognise them.

1. Someone asks you to pay with a gift card

No legitimate company, bank, tax office or support service will ask you to settle a debt, a fine or a fee by buying gift cards and sending them the codes. If someone insists on it — especially in a hurry — it is a scam.

2. Someone asks for the code

The code is the card. Never send it in a message, an email or a photo — not to a buyer, not to a "support agent", not to a friend whose account may have been hacked. Walletbridge support will never ask for your code, your password or the one-time code from our email.

3. A price that is too good to be true

Cards sold far below face value on marketplaces and in chats have often been bought with stolen payment cards or already used. When the original payment is disputed, the platform may take back the credited funds or restrict the account where the code was redeemed.

4. Fake shops and phishing links

Scammers copy the look of real shops and send links in ads and messages. Check the address bar before you pay: our site is wallet-bridge.com. Bookmark it instead of following links from messages.

5. "Let me check your card balance"

A variation of the request for the code: a stranger offers to "check" or "activate" your card on their side. Balance checks and redemption happen only on the official website or app of the platform.

How buying on Walletbridge works

• The code appears only on the order page in your account, after payment.
• We never ask you to send a code or a password to anyone.
• If a code turns out to be faulty, write to support with your order number: we check it with the supplier, and an approved refund goes to your balance.