Buying Gift Cards With Stolen Credit Cards -
Criminals use stolen credit card data to purchase gift cards through several specific methods:
: Cards are sold on marketplaces or the dark web at a discount (often 60–80% of face value) for cryptocurrency or cash. buying gift cards with stolen credit cards
: Some use gift cards to make in-app purchases within their own apps or donate to specific streamers, eventually receiving a clean payout from the platform. Impact and Statistics Criminals use stolen credit card data to purchase
: Fraudsters use the cards to buy popular electronics (like iPads or iPhones) that can be easily resold for nearly 95% of their retail value. : Scammers make a purchase with a stolen
: Scammers make a purchase with a stolen credit card and then return the item, requesting the refund be placed on a gift card. This converts the stolen credit line into a legitimate, untraceable store credit.
The scale of this fraud is significant, affecting millions of consumers and leading to massive merchant losses: Using Stolen Credit Cards to Buy Gift Cards - Riskified