{"id":1706,"date":"2019-04-23T02:12:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T18:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2023-03-14T19:05:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T11:05:03","slug":"6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Tips to Avoid Gift Card Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p>Gift cards are an increasingly common present, way to store value, and form of online currency. Unfortunately, buying and selling them can be risky because of their digital nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is that with a few basic tips, you can protect your money and your card(s) from scammers and fraudsters. To help you do so, here are 6 tips for avoiding gift card scams online and offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1.&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>Use escrow services that protect buyers and sellers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/QzBYkChnuYObfPJ7AdQniUVWNUhAwrYiQYado6y_zVd-8aVURBB91kPeuPydsx6_iQWQoNYCBL_dTJxFVVhaexYF4s2WW_1F4tBsxKJaebVk-vqAPmsKvH6LZAzRe-s09xbADxrV\" alt=\"CoinCola Logo\" width=\"242\" height=\"127\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\n\n\n\n<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Some marketplaces let buyers and sellers settle their own arguments. Some &#8211; like eBay &#8211; appear to have a slight bias towards customers. With gift cards, it\u2019s important that the platform you choose has <strong><em>a fair way to decide the outcomes of any dispute<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<p>CoinCola just launched a dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/buy-bitcoin\/gift-cards\">gift card trading zone<\/a> that provides 24\/7 dispute center.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/buy-bitcoin\/gift-cards\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1888 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-5.34.25-PM-1024x726.png\" alt=\"coincola bitcoin gift card trading page\" width=\"1024\" height=\"726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-5.34.25-PM-1024x726.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-5.34.25-PM-300x213.png 300w, https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-5.34.25-PM-768x544.png 768w, https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-15-at-5.34.25-PM.png 1832w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>\n\n\n\n<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Not only do we strive to make sure all our buyers are verified, we also have a 24\/7 customer support center that acts as a neutral party on our escrow platform. For any conflicts involving gift card balance, rate, payment issue, you can open a dispute easily from the trading window and a specialist with get to you within an hour. Learn how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=L_TwvhDdaM0\">open a dispute<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/buy-bitcoin\/gift-cards\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1075 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/trade-now.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"412\" height=\"110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/trade-now.png 412w, https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/trade-now-300x80.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 412px) 100vw, 412px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\">P.s. Nigerians who want to trade bitcoin with Naira simply <a style=\"color: #808080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/buy-bitcoin?country_code=NG\">Click Here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>2.\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Inspect physical cards<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<h2><strong>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Physical cards are a bit of a rarity in the modern world. They are still fairly common with physical stores &#8211; but for online services, from Amazon to iTunes to Google Play, most people use their digital counterparts.<\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>\n\n\n\n<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Still, if you <em>do<\/em> buy a physical gift card, inspect it closely. Make sure that all protective stickers are present and that no PIN numbers or secret codes have been scratched off.<\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>\n\n\n\n<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Do this even if you buy a gift card from a trusted source. Some cards get tampered with before they reach their seller, so it\u2019s important to remain diligent at all times.<\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>\n\n\n\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Look at previous reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re buying and selling gift cards online, which more and more people are doing, look at who you\u2019re trading with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more positive reviews they have from prior trades, the better. Conversely, if someone has no reviews and no previous feedback, stay on your toes: they could well be a scammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4.\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Know your seller<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/ax6Y80VFTaOJy7P4RlcHPYqs39aaXmv_NSF1k2SStSSNuHBgMfXIGwPN-kmpRy6W2O_jZWIoKrquRx8VtdG71N52ltb5f2FIbIQra0UjacfXzo8nqF7pd4k0M_Yg7M-7hpeiuXf1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\n<p>If a stranger leaves you without a gift card you paid for, or without money for a gift card you just handed over, tracing them can be hard. After all, they can quickly resell your gift card to the next person or use it to shop online without revealing their identity.<\/p>\r\n<p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\n<p>That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to know your seller and document your transaction. The best way to do this is by buying and selling gift cards through a marketplace where all sellers\u2019 identities are verified.<\/p>\r\n<p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\n<p>If you\u2019re shopping offline, get your gift card from a registered business and make sure to hold on to the receipt. If you\u2019re shopping online, do so through real-life businesses that have trustworthy Know Your Seller\/Customer procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Use gift cards quickly! <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you buy a gift card online, understand that even an honest buyer or seller may have exposed it to someone else by accident. Use it quickly; preferably before you release the funds to the other person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Use escrow where possible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When funds are in escrow, they belong to neither the buyer nor the seller. Instead, they are in holding &#8211; and are only released once both parties confirm a successful transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is probably the best way to make sure that you get exactly what you\u2019re paying for and vice versa. Escrow services are especially effective when paired with a quality dispute resolution service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>If you want to buy or sell gift cards instantly, at outstanding rates, and through a trusted business that\u2019s headquartered in Hong Kong, consider trying CoinCola.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/signup\/email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-165\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sign-up-now-btn.png\" alt=\"sign up coicola\" width=\"371\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sign-up-now-btn.png 494w, https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sign-up-now-btn-300x78.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 371px) 100vw, 371px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>Follow CoinCola on Social Media<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CoinCola_Global\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/CoinCola_Global<\/a><br>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CoinCola\/\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CoinCola\/<\/a><br>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/CoinCola\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/CoinCola\/<\/a><br>LinkedIn: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/coincola\/\">https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/coincola\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About CoinCola<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Founded in 2016, CoinCola is a Hong Kong based company offering both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/buy-bitcoin\">over-the-counter<\/a> cryptocurrency trading and crypto-to-crypto pair trading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/trading\/btc\/usdt\">exchange<\/a>. CoinCola now serves millions of users from over 150 countries with our fast, secure, and reliable trading services. We support BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, USDT, DASH, and XRP. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.coincola.com\">www.coincola.com<\/a> to invest in digital assets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Disclaimer: Trading and investing in cryptocurrencies, also called digital currencies, crypto assets, and so on) involves substantial risk of loss. All informations are used at your own risk, and any content on this site should not be relied upon as advice or construed as providing recommendation of any kind.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gift cards are an increasingly common present, way to s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false},"categories":[87],"tags":[176,179],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>6 Tips to Avoid Gift Card Scams - CoinCola Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"zh_CN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 Tips to Avoid Gift Card Scams - CoinCola Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gift cards are an increasingly common present, way to s...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CoinCola Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CoinColaGlobal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-22T18:12:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-14T11:05:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-04-18-at-4.14.27-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"740\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"389\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"January\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CoinCola_Global\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CoinCola_Global\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u4f5c\u8005\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"January\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"\u9884\u8ba1\u9605\u8bfb\u65f6\u95f4\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5\u5206\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/\",\"name\":\"6 Tips to Avoid Gift Card Scams - CoinCola Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-22T18:12:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-14T11:05:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6dcc2d959cf696f451f1ca8dfa54494b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"zh-CN\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/6-tips-to-avoid-gift-card-scams\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"6 Tips to Avoid Gift Card Scams\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"CoinCola Blog\",\"description\":\"Buy and Sell Bitcoin\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"zh-CN\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6dcc2d959cf696f451f1ca8dfa54494b\",\"name\":\"January\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"zh-CN\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.coincola.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37f0f8d44bd541ca0a57797bea700179?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37f0f8d44bd541ca0a57797bea700179?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"January\"},\"description\":\"Yo, I'm all about that sweet spot where finance and tech collide. 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