Buying Gift Cards With Stolen Credit Cards -

Buying gift cards with stolen credit cards is a major component of modern financial crime, used primarily as a fast, anonymous way to "cash out" stolen credentials. Criminals favor gift cards because they function like untraceable cash once purchased.

: Scammers make a purchase with a stolen credit card and then return the item, requesting the refund be placed on a gift card. This converts the stolen credit line into a legitimate, untraceable store credit. buying gift cards with stolen credit cards

Criminals use stolen credit card data to purchase gift cards through several specific methods: Buying gift cards with stolen credit cards is

: Fraudsters use the cards to buy popular electronics (like iPads or iPhones) that can be easily resold for nearly 95% of their retail value. This converts the stolen credit line into a

: Some use gift cards to make in-app purchases within their own apps or donate to specific streamers, eventually receiving a clean payout from the platform. Impact and Statistics

Once a gift card is acquired with stolen funds, it is converted into "clean" money through: