The Givens Communities Technology Department wants to remind everyone about a scam that continues to be highly effective despite the fact that it has been around for many years: the “gift card” scam.
Scenario: You receive an email, text message, or even a phone call from a friend, colleague or a trusted contact that urgently request you to buy gift cards for employee recognition, resident events, emergency situations, or other seemingly legitimate business purposes.
These messages are designed to create a sense of urgency and will often ask that keep the request remain confidential or to act quickly. This is to attempt to keep you from verifying the request. Remember:
- NEVER purchase gift cards in response to an email, text message or phone call without verifying the request.
- Be cautious of messages that create urgency or pressure for you to act immediately.
- Verify unexpected requests – DO NOT use the contact information associated with the message.
- Pay close attention to the sender’s email address, as scammers will use email addresses that look similar to legitimate ones. Some of the latest use cases are putting executive names in the subject line.
- If something feels unusual or suspicious, trust your instincts and verify before taking any action.
While this scam is not new, it remains one of the most successful social engineering attacks because it relies on human trust rather than technical vulnerabilities. If you receive a suspicious message requesting gift cards, payments, sensitive information, or immediate action, please report it to the Givens Communities Technology team and DO NOT respond to the sender.