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If anyone asks you to buy an Apple, Google Play, Amazon, Steam or other gift card to pay a tax bill, fine, utility account, debt, account “repair” or emergency, stop. No legitimate government agency, employer, business or utility demands payment by gift card. The person is trying to obtain the redemption code, which can be spent or resold quickly.
Consumer Protection WA issued the Apple iTunes-focused warning on 14 August 2024. It recorded 49 Western Australian victims losing $115,852 and 61 attempted gift-card scams at that point in 2024, compared with $68,900 lost during all of 2023. Those figures describe the 2024 alert, not current losses. A separate WA Government release dated 22 July 2026 reported more than $1 million lost to gift-card scams during 2026, 56% above the total recorded for 2025.
The one rule that stops this scam
Apple gift cards are for Apple products and services. They are not valid payment for taxes, fines, electricity, telephone or internet bills, debt collection, hospital charges, immigration matters or technical support. Apple says scammers commonly create panic, direct a victim to buy cards and then demand the redemption code. A photograph of the card can be enough.
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Buying a card for your own use or as an ordinary gift is not inherently suspicious. The decisive warning sign is an unexpected request to buy cards and transfer the number or code because of an urgent problem.
#1 Best Overall
What the WA warnings actually said
| Date and source | What was reported |
|---|---|
| 14 August 2024, Consumer Protection WA | 49 victims had lost $115,852 in 2024; 61 attempted gift-card scams had been reported. The 2024 losses had already exceeded the $68,900 reported for all of 2023. Read the original warning. |
| 22 July 2026, WA Government | More than $1 million had been lost to gift-card scams during 2026 at the date of release, 56% above the whole of 2025. Romance scams were then the largest source of losses, alongside impersonation and investment scams. Read the 2026 update. |
The 2024 release described an 18-year-old who believed a message came from her boss, bought Apple iTunes cards and sent the details over WhatsApp, losing $7,600. The example matters because this is not a scam aimed only at retirees: workplace, family, romance, investment and technical-support pretexts can target anyone.
How the scam unfolds
- Unexpected contact: an email, text, phone call, social-media message or chat claims to be from a boss, relative, government department, tax authority, utility, bank or Apple.
- Authority or emotion: the sender alleges arrest, disconnection, hacking, unpaid tax, an investment fee, a family emergency or another serious consequence.
- Urgency and secrecy: the victim is told to act immediately and not to consult anyone.
- Directed purchase: the scammer specifies cards, denominations, retailers or multiple stores.
- Code extraction: the victim is told to read out the code or send a photograph, receipt or activation details.
- Rapid conversion: the criminal redeems, sells or uses the balance. Apple warns the funds may be spent before support or police can intervene.
Scripts you may hear
- “Your tax debt must be paid now or you will be arrested.”
- “Your electricity, phone or internet service will be disconnected.”
- “Police or immigration officials need payment immediately.”
- “Your computer or bank account has been hacked; buy cards to secure it.”
- “I’m your manager—buy cards for staff or clients and send me the codes.”
- “Your relative or romantic partner urgently needs help.”
- “Pay an investment tax, release fee or withdrawal charge.”
- “Apple Support needs the code to unlock your account.”
Caller ID, an official-looking logo or a familiar writing style proves nothing. Apple warns that trusted numbers can be spoofed, and WA ScamNet advises verifying through contact details you find independently.
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- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
Before you buy or send anything
- Stop responding. Do not click links or call numbers in the message.
- Verify separately. Call the supposed employer, relative, bank, business or government agency using its official website, a known number or an in-person conversation.
- Pause the transaction. A demand for gift-card payment is a scam indicator unless it is independently confirmed as a normal personal gift.
- Keep the code private. Do not send the redemption code, card photograph, receipt or serial number to an unexpected contact.
Use Apple’s official guidance at support.apple.com/en-au/120933 if the request claims to be from Apple. Apple will not require gift cards to fix an account or device.
If you bought the cards but have not sent the codes
- Do not disclose the codes or photograph the cards.
- Keep every physical card and the purchase receipt.
- Contact the retailer immediately and explain that the purchase may be scam-related.
- Contact Apple Support and provide the card details, receipt and serial number if requested. The serial number is different from the redemption code.
- Report the incident to WA ScamNet and Scamwatch.
- If bank or card details were exposed, call the bank or card issuer using an independently sourced number.
Neither Apple nor a retailer should be represented as promising a refund. Consumer Protection WA says recovery is often difficult once a code has been disclosed.
If you already sent a code
Act immediately; do not wait to see whether the balance is used.
- Contact Apple Support and say the card was obtained through a scam. Provide the card information, receipt and communications. Apple’s Australian gift-card guidance is at support.apple.com/en-au/120933.
- Notify the retailer where the cards were purchased.
- Call your bank or card provider if its payment method or account details were involved.
- Report the scam to WA ScamNet on 1300 30 40 54, through scamnet.wa.gov.au or at [email protected], and report it to Scamwatch.
- Consider police or Crime Stoppers WA where criminal conduct is involved.
- Preserve emails, phone numbers, messages, screenshots, receipts and payment records.
Be wary of recovery scammers who later promise to retrieve the money for an upfront fee. Fast reporting may allow intervention, but it cannot guarantee recovery.
Rank #4
If your Apple account details were also exposed
- Change the Apple Account password immediately from a trusted device or Apple’s official site.
- Confirm that two-factor authentication is enabled.
- Review recent purchases, devices and account activity.
- Contact your bank or card issuer if financial details were supplied.
- Do not use a link, phone number or app supplied by the suspicious contact.
Apple says it will not ask for your Apple Account password, device passcode or two-factor authentication code through a suspicious call or message. Suspicious Apple emails can be forwarded to [email protected]. See Apple’s social-engineering guidance.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhen an Apple card will not redeem
A failed redemption does not automatically prove fraud. Apple’s troubleshooting guidance covers several legitimate problems:
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
- “Card not valid”: confirm the card type and enter the code manually.
- “Already redeemed”: sign out of the App Store or iTunes Store and sign back in to refresh the balance.
- “Not activated”: return to the retailer.
- Wrong country or region: cards generally cannot be redeemed outside the country or region where purchased.
- Unreadable code: contact Apple Support.
These steps at support.apple.com/en-au/108285 address card faults. If a scammer saw or received the code, report the fraud as well.
What retailers, relatives and carers can do
Consumer Protection has described retailer arrangements involving warning signs, staff training and escalation of unusually large purchases. The 2024 spot checks found some stores no longer displaying signs, while the 2026 warning said scammers were coaching victims, directing them to several stores and using smaller retailers to avoid detection.
- Pause unusually large or repeated purchases.
- Ask whether the cards are for taxes, fines, bills, wages, account repairs or an emergency.
- Notice customers who stay on the phone, read instructions from a chat, appear coached or seem frightened.
- Explain calmly that legitimate organisations do not accept gift cards as payment.
- Involve a manager and offer official reporting contacts without shaming the customer.
Family members and carers should help verify the request through a separate channel. A young employee, older person, professional or experienced online shopper can all be manipulated by pressure.
Quick Recap
Where to get help
- WA ScamNet: 1300 30 40 54, scamnet.wa.gov.au, [email protected].
- Apple: use official Australian support at support.apple.com/en-au/120933.
- Bank or card issuer: call immediately if its payment method or account information was involved.
- Scamwatch: report the incident through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s official service.
- Police or Crime Stoppers WA: consider reporting suspected criminal conduct.
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