And those gift card companies want to give that money back," the FTC said in its blog post. Here are steps, highlighted by the agency, that consumers should take if they suspect they have been conned.

Gift cards are more vulnerable to bad actors than some expect. There are ways that consumers can fight back against the gift card-draining scams that are out there.

If you use a credit card to purchase your Starbucks drink, you might earn 1% to 2% rewards, but if you purchase a Starbucks gift card at an office supply store, you could earn 5 Chase Ultimate ...

I f you plan to purchase a gift card in the near future, beware: Scammers are now using them to swipe your money. A study by ...

Need a great gift fast? Shop our roundup of the 74 best e-gift cards to make sure they get what they really want for Christmas 2024, with options from Amazon to Nike.

For instance, at the time of this writing, a $100 gift card to Walmart will get you $85.50, the Apple Store will get you $77.50 and Microsoft an even lower $66.