The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, for example, said it receives more than 2,000 complaints each day about all sorts of internet scams, from fraudulent business impersonation to fake romances to gift card scams. 'This is only the tip of the iceberg,' said John Breyault, vice president for public policy, telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League. So when the Federal Trade Commission counted more than $245 million in money lost to gift card scams since 2018, most experts said the actual number is likely many multiples worse than that. Many victims don't report the crime to authorities, often because they're embarrassed and quickly learn the hard truth that they're unlikely to get their money back. It's impossible to fathom how much money these scammers have taken.

'If someone coerces you, then you're out of luck,' said Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs at AARP.

Even identity fraud insurance, which would cover ID theft in the case of a data breach, often doesn't apply when you've given the information willingly. When a victim shares the card number with a scammer, they've effectively authorized its use. But it's different with gift cards - they have no such legal protections. The fees we pay help cover the losses to that fraud.

But it tends to feel more like an inconvenience than theft, because you usually get your money back thanks to a nearly half-century-old law designed to protect consumers from any ' unauthorized' credit charges. That's because it cost Americans a staggering $56 billion last year, according to Javelin Strategy and Research. When you think of computer crimes, identity theft usually comes first to mind. Some victims have family members who fight fraud for a living. Victims are old and young, rich and poor. While it's easy to assume most victims are elderly, surveys suggest it's much broader. Moments just like this happen to tens of millions of Americans every year. She did as he asked, giving him nearly $9,000 worth of gift cards. 'I need you to go to the store to get Target cards,' she remembers him saying. Then he could put the money back into Match's bank accounts and all would be settled.

The only way to fix the mistake, he told her, was to buy gift cards with the extra money she'd received and give him the numbers.

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