Gift Cards, Cryptocurrency, Payment Apps, and Other Hard-to-trace Payment Methods

• Wire transfers: Once a wire transfer is completed, it can rarely be canceled or refunded. This is because wire transfers involve moving funds from one bank account to another without intermediaries.
• Cash payments: Once you make a cash payment, it is hard to get it back once you hand over the cash. Therefore, it is essential to be careful when making cash payments, especially for large sums of money.
• Cryptocurrencies: Cryptocurrencies are decentralized digital currencies that operate on a blockchain network. Depending on the type of cryptocurrency, these transactions are hard to reverse and hard to trace, and can rarely be canceled or refunded.
• Money orders: Money orders are like checks but are prepaid and guaranteed by the issuer. Once a money order is issued and paid, it cannot be easily canceled or refunded.
• Mobile peer-to-peer payment (P2P) services, like Venmo, Zelle, and Apple Pay, aren't meant for commercial use—which online transactions are. If a payment service flags a transaction as commercial, you could be banned from using the service, and your funds held temporarily.

Even disclosing the card number over the telephone or via video call can allow the thief to drain the card immediately, leaving you with worthless pieces of plastic.

Be alert to gift cards in a self-checkout kiosk.  A scammer can scan the gift card PIN and walk away, hoping an unwary shopper will pay for the gift card later. Once the card has value authorized, the scammer can use the PIN to claim the card amount remotely, perhaps before the unwary shopper leaves the store.

According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), “… thieves go to stores and surreptitiously scratch off the film strip on the back to get the PIN, which they cover back up with easy-to-obtain replacement stickers… The crook can then spend or transfer the money on the card or cash it in before the buyer or gift recipient has a chance to use it.”  One in 4 respondents to AARP’s survey said they had given or received a gift card with no value.

• When buying on a legitimate online marketplace, use the payment service the site recommends.
• Fund your purchases with a credit card as it offers the most legal protections, including the right to a chargeback if there is a problem with the order.
• Review the website's user agreements, terms and conditions, and consumer protections.
• Major payment services offer a purchase protection program that covers buyers and sellers for most items exchanged online.
• Do not use cryptocurrency, gift cards, money wires, or other hard-to-trace payment methods.  
• Always double-check the payment details before sending money, and only use reputable payment methods and services. 

It's important to report scams so that authorities can investigate and take action to prevent others from falling victim to the same scam.  If you believe that you have been a victim of a scam or have come across a fraudulent website or business, here are organizations and agencies you can report it to:

• Montgomery County Police Department at 301-279-8000
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://www.ftc.gov/complaint.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB) at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker.
• Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov.
• American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) fraud helpline at 1-877-908-3360 or https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fraud-watch-network/

There is a more extensive list of reporting agencies at How to Report Fraud.