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#1 January 31 2023

zizo99
Member

Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

Hello everyone,

I recently came across this Instagram ad. After contacting them on WhatsApp, I was given the following information.

Has anyone here tried this before? It sounds too good to be true, and I'm a bit skeptical about it. The request is strange as well, as anyone can create an Amazon account and purchase with it, right?

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#2 January 31 2023

Guitaret
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

Haven't heard of it, but it makes me think why would someone want other people to order using their gift card?
My first impression is that those gift cards are obtained using something illegal and this person doesn't want to be traceable. God only knows what kind of acts they did to get those gift cards.
Did they tell you where you will be shipping these items to?

Last edited by Guitaret (January 31 2023)

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#3 January 31 2023

zizo99
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

I asked why he doesn't do it himself. He replied that way he can order unlimited quantities without a limit.
However, I decided to give it a try and he provided a US address and a $7 voucher to try on a small order.

Last edited by zizo99 (January 31 2023)

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#4 January 31 2023

samer
Admin

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

The gift cards may have been acquired illegally. For example, they bought a bunch of stolen credit cards and bought Amazon gift cards with them. I would not recommend getting involved in this.

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#5 February 1 2023

Salloum
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

As others have mentioned this is clearly a disguised credit card scam. Stay as far away as possible.

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#6 February 3 2023

AVOlio
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

After I read this post, somehow the magic of the online advertising algorithms caught it and sent me the ad on Instagram as well.

The same guy, the same message he sent you.

What did you end up doing, did you proceed?

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#7 February 3 2023

zizo99
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

Yes, I placed a small order for him  (AirTags at a cost of $90) using a gift voucher and a credit card provided to me.
The order was approved and is now in the process of being delivered.

Although I'm not sure if it's worth it, there might be some suspicion as he gave me a credit card without knowing me, I don't know.

However, what is the worst-case scenario? being banned from Amazon? This can quickly be resolved by creating a new one.

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#8 February 3 2023

AVOlio
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

He gave you credit card info, or gift voucher?
Or both?.


How was the order paid, with credit card or voucher?

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#9 February 4 2023

zizo99
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

I used both, he also allowed me to subscribe to amazon prime using his CC.

Last edited by zizo99 (February 4 2023)

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#10 February 5 2023

nuclearcat
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

This is money laundry scheme, they need "drops" who will be the ones that law enforcement will catch and who will serve time in prison.
Like these folks: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-def … ud-victims
So, congrats, you just became part of criminal scheme and got cops on your tail. Does that seemingly easy money worth of having criminal charges and black mark on your future?
Is it was so hard to google for a bit longer?

Just how this scheme works.
1)Some criminal gang use extortion, often they use indecent pictures of minors and blackmail minor to buy gift cards, so criminals wont spread his/her picture on internet. They will keep milking minor, until he report to police.
2)That dude on instagram who is likely sitting between many layers of VPN, find fools(you, if you trusted them) who will cash out these dirty cards on his name.
3)They receive goods and sell them, this is how they get "clean money" and how money laundry works.

Next step:
4)Minor or his parents will report to police and will give serial numbers of cards, which was "cashed out" and traceable to YOU by Amazon.
5)You will tell police "someone hired you", but all you have is chat with that dude, who is behind VPN, so instagram account is not traceable.
Also police can easily lie that you just faked this chat and you are criminal who extorted minor with indecent pics, and they have undeniable trace, gift cards that he purchased and you used them to buy goods. It will be hard to prove otherwise without good lawyer. Good lawyer will cost you way more than you earned from this shit.
Notice also, person offer you payments in form that is (again) not traceable, whoosh/WU doesnt really verify sender ID well, usdt/driver - i wont even comment. You are last traceable point in this criminal chain and you are the one will serve sentence.
So... lawyer up.

https://www.amazon.com/giftcardscams/b? … 5435487011

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#11 February 5 2023

nuclearcat
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

P.S, CC likely stolen too, or might be anonymous.

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#12 February 5 2023

Guitaret
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

You are all mentionning stolen CC, but I know that gift cards are used in sex trafficing as well. I would never get into this sidekick.

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#13 February 5 2023

nuclearcat
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

Gift cards are more common in criminal schemes these days than CC, as CC often being protected by 3D Secure/OTP and other ways.

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#14 February 5 2023

zizo99
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

nuclearcat wrote:

P.S, CC likely stolen too, or might be anonymous.

The CC is probably clean since it's under his name.


But thank you for bringing this to my attention. I hadn't thought about it at all before. I only considered the worst-case scenario is having my Amazon account banned, but now I realize that this issue is deeper than that.

Your post has given me a clearer understanding of the situation, especially now that I understand why he keeps sending me so many gift cards (only 2 of them were actually usable out of dozen and the rest didn't work).


I will cut all ties with him immediately. Not sure what else can be done.

This issue should be more widely addressed to prevent others from becoming victims of this money laundering scam. He could easily scam numerous people with it.

Thanks for your input here.

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#15 February 6 2023

AVOlio
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

I'm not condoning his activity in any way,
But let's face it, nothing would happen to Lebanese people participating in this since there is no Law, or application of the law

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#16 February 6 2023

mikasa
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

did he ask you to leave a review on the product?

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#17 February 8 2023

zizo99
Member

Re: Has anyone encountered this gift card thing before?

mikasa wrote:

did he ask you to leave a review on the product?

no, not at all

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