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If someone tells you to buy an Apple Gift Card and give them the card number, PIN, barcode, or a photo of the card, stop. That is a scam—not a legitimate way to pay taxes, fines, bills, bail, tech support, shipping charges, debts, prizes, employees, relatives, or online sellers.
The $100 denomination is not an Apple security fee or official payment threshold. It is simply the amount the scammer has chosen. Apple Gift Cards are legitimate products when used for Apple purchases, but the code is effectively cash to anyone who obtains it. Scammers may redeem the balance or sell the code before you can intervene.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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$500 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $500.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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$100 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $100.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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$15 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $15.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Apple Physical Gift Card | $100.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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$500 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery - Season's greetings | $500.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Fast rule: Apple Gift Cards are for buying Apple products and services—not for paying a person, business, agency, utility, debt collector, “support agent,” or online contact.
How the $100 Apple Gift Card scam works
There is no single standardized “$100 Apple Gift Card scam.” The denomination may be $25, $50, $100, or several cards. The common pattern is:
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- A scammer contacts you by phone, text, email, social media, or a fake pop-up.
- They create urgency with a threat, emergency, fee, or promise.
- They tell you to buy a specific Apple Gift Card, often at a particular retailer.
- They ask you to reveal the redemption code, PIN, barcode, activation information, or a photograph of the card.
- They redeem or resell the balance, leaving you with an empty card and uncertain recovery prospects.
The physical card is not the protection. Once the number and PIN are disclosed, the scammer may be able to use the value without possessing the card itself. Apple warns that funds may be spent before you can contact Apple or law enforcement. See Apple’s gift-card scam guidance.
Red flags that identify the scam quickly
- Urgency: You must pay within minutes or within the hour.
- Threats: The caller mentions arrest, deportation, account closure, disconnection, legal action, or loss of access.
- Secrecy: You are told not to consult family, your bank, coworkers, Apple, or the police.
- Store instructions: The caller stays on the phone while you visit a retailer or directs you to a specific location.
- Code requests: You are asked for the card number, PIN, barcode, activation receipt, or a photo.
- Impersonation: The message appears to come from Apple, the IRS, a bank, police, a utility, an employer, or a relative.
- Reimbursement promises: Someone says they will repay you later or sends money first.
- Untrusted contact details: You are told to call a number in a pop-up, message, email, or caller ID.
Caller ID, logos, personal details, and a familiar-sounding voice do not prove identity. A convincing voice may be generated or relayed by a scammer, and caller ID can be spoofed.
Common stories scammers use
Government or tax demand
A caller claims to represent the IRS, Social Security Administration, Federal Trade Commission, police, or another agency and demands immediate payment. Government agencies do not demand payment by gift card. The FTC explains how government and business impersonation scams use gift cards.
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- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Fake Apple or Microsoft support
A pop-up, call, text, or email says your device or account is compromised. The fake technician may request remote access and then demand an Apple Gift Card as payment. Unsolicited tech support should be treated with suspicion; the FBI also warns about tech-support scams involving remote access and gift cards.
Family emergency
A scammer claims to be your child, grandchild, friend, or relative who urgently needs a card. Contact that person independently using a known number or another trusted channel. Do not rely on the number or link supplied in the message.
Boss or employer request
An impostor posing as a manager may ask you to purchase cards for clients, staff rewards, or an urgent expense and promise reimbursement. Confirm the request face to face or through a previously known workplace channel.
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- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Prize, utility, marketplace, or romance demand
Other versions involve supposed prize taxes, shipping or processing fees, threatened utility shutoff, online-sale verification, delivery charges, or an emergency involving a romantic or social-media contact. Legitimate prizes do not require an Apple Gift Card, and an online contact’s demand for one is not a normal transaction.
What to do before buying or sharing the card
- Stop communicating. Hang up, stop replying, and do not click links or open attachments.
- Do not buy the card. If you are in a store, tell an employee you may be facing a scam and leave the transaction unfinished.
- Never reveal the code. Do not send the PIN, barcode, receipt, or any photograph of the card.
- Verify independently. Find the organization’s official website or phone number yourself. Do not use contact information provided by the requester or shown in an unsolicited pop-up.
- Ask someone you trust. Scammers use pressure and isolation to prevent a second opinion.
- End remote access. If a supposed technician is connected, disconnect the device from the internet and do not give further control.
- Preserve evidence. Save messages, screenshots, phone numbers, email headers, usernames, websites, receipts, and payment records.
If you bought the card but did not share the code
- Do not send the code to anyone, even if the requester claims to be Apple or a recovery specialist.
- Keep the card, packaging, and store receipt.
- Contact Apple through its official gift-card support page and explain that the card may be connected to a scam.
- Contact the retailer if the purchase itself appears unauthorized or fraudulent.
- If you paid with a debit or credit card, ask the issuer whether a fraud review or dispute is available. A purchase you authorized is not automatically reversible.
- Report the attempted scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If you already shared the code or PIN
Act immediately. Do not wait to see whether the balance is still visible.
- Contact Apple first. In the U.S., call 800-275-2273. When prompted, say “gift cards.” Use Apple’s official support page rather than a number supplied by the scammer or a sponsored search result.
- Ask whether the balance remains and whether Apple can freeze, protect, or otherwise investigate the card. Do not assume recovery is possible.
- Keep the original card and receipt. Do not post the full card number or PIN publicly.
- Report the fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- If money was lost or personal information was exposed, report the incident to local law enforcement.
- Contact your bank, card issuer, or payment provider if the incident involved an unauthorized transaction, account takeover, or exposed financial information.
- Secure affected accounts, including your Apple Account and email account.
Have this information ready: the card number if still available, purchase date, amount, retailer and store location, receipt, time the code was disclosed, screenshots, caller ID or phone number, email address, social-media account, website, and details of any account or identity information shared.
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Can Apple refund the money?
Do not count on an automatic refund. Apple may be able to investigate or protect funds that remain, particularly when contacted quickly, but recovery is uncertain if the balance has already been redeemed. The FTC recommends contacting the card issuer immediately, asking for the money back, and reporting the scam—even if time has passed. Contact Apple regardless of how much of the balance appears to remain.
Buying the card from Apple or an authorized retailer does not validate the person demanding it. Activation only means the card was loaded for use; it does not prove that the payment request is legitimate.
If you gave the scammer remote access or account information
Gift-card recovery and account security are separate problems. Take both tracks seriously:
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- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
- Disconnect the device from the internet if the scammer is still connected.
- Remove unfamiliar remote-access software.
- From a clean device, change the affected Apple Account and email passwords.
- Turn on two-factor authentication where available.
- Review trusted devices, account-recovery information, payment methods, and recent purchases.
- Contact your bank or card issuer about exposed financial information.
- If Social Security or identity documents were disclosed, use the appropriate government identity-theft service and follow its recovery guidance.
Changing a password can help secure an account, but it does not restore a gift-card balance that has already been redeemed.
Beware the second scam: “recovery” help
After a loss, another person may claim to be Apple support, law enforcement, a government investigator, or a “recovery agent.” They may promise to retrieve the money for an upfront fee, another gift card, cryptocurrency, or access to your accounts. Do not pay them or share more information. Use only official Apple and government reporting channels.
Legitimate uses and important distinctions
Buying a $100 Apple Gift Card as a gift for someone you choose can be legitimate. Redeeming a card into your own Apple Account is also different from sending its code to a stranger. The danger is an unsolicited demand that uses the card as payment to someone other than Apple.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAn Apple Gift Card is not the same product as the Apple Card credit card. The scam warning concerns a demand for an Apple Gift Card code or PIN.
For readers outside the United States
The phone number and FTC reporting portal above are for U.S. consumers. If you are elsewhere, use Apple’s official support channel and your country’s government fraud-reporting service. Apple Gift Card availability, redemption rules, and support procedures can vary by country or region.
Quick Recap
Official contacts
- Apple gift-card support
- FTC: Avoiding and reporting gift-card scams
- FTC fraud reporting
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: scam and fraud contacts
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
