Scam alert: Husband was asked by his "CEO" to buy iTunes gift cards for his clients

LKathrifty on 28/04/2020 - 16:52
Last edited 28/04/2020 - 16:54

Hi Ozbargain brain trust,

I have couple of questions regarding iTunes gift cards:

1) Can you get a refund from Coles and JB hifi if the cards are unscratched and still attached to the backing card?

2) If not, what's the best way to use 10x $100 gift cards? 😂 We have Android phones (my husband has a Macbook though). We could give them as gifts - but do people even want them? We could try to sell them below cost price - but do people buy them? I'm not sure if we personally have ever bought anything from the iTunes store!

Back story:
My husband gets an email at 6am to his work email address from his CEO saying that he shouldn't have too much on the table and can he send him his mobile number. Semi lucidly, T hubby responds, and gets requested by text a few hours later to go buy some iTunes gift cards for the CEO's clients that he is currently in a conference call with. Says that he needs them ASAP and can he get them from the nearest shop. My hubby is the type to panic a little when asked to do a task urgently (especially by the big boss, who hubby knows has gotten more newer members of staff to do tasks for him) and we rush off to Coles to buy the gift cards. Coles says we can only buy 5, so to save time I go and buy the remaining 5 cards from JB hifi.

Hubby sent photos of the barcodes by text and email to his "CEO" and then when told to "peel off the back" he cottoned on to this being a ridiculous task and that he was getting scammed. Hubby called the number (no answer of course) and when we went back to the email I clicked on his CEO's name and an email address came up that was definitely not his CEO's! Luckily we hadn't scratched off the grey stickers and didn't respond further to the scammer.

We called Apple support who advised us to return to point of sale (which we are about to do) since the card are unused - can we get refunds, or will we be disappointed and have $1000 worth of gift cards to figure out what to do with?

(Don't worry, I think I was a pretty supportive wife and hubby has now learnt an important life lesson).

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Entertainment

Comments

      • mr fox on 05/05/2020 - 16:33

        ANZ via AFCA is picking up the tab. Good result.

  • Fysh on 29/04/2020 - 19:00

    Sell them to your friends for face value. Ask them to help you out. Even if 5 friends say yes you can sell the rest for 20% below and you're better off

  • ldp on 29/04/2020 - 19:26

    I’ll buy 2 $100 cards from you :)

  • Connected on 29/04/2020 - 20:01
    +5

    I just want to say OP's husband is the luckiest man on earth for having such a supportive and caring wife, and these things can happen to anyone no matter how smart you think you are. Same thing happened to my colleague just a couple of weeks ago, she got an email from our CEO (whom we see occasionally and he knows our names by heart) to ask her to buy some gift cards as a surprise for some staff members and asked her to keep the secret. So she was emailing our CEO back and forth (the email address of course is not from our company but some dodgy server) and eventually she went to a Coles and was about to buy the gift cards, but she wasn't sure if he wants the Coles Myer ones or the others and she found it too confusing so she decided to call head office to speak to him directly to clarify, and only then she found out it was a scam. And my colleague is averagely smart but not very tech savvy.

    • Kathrifty on 29/04/2020 - 20:37
      +4

      Thanks! I think he knows he's lucky ;)

      I don't respond well to criticism (can you see how many times I've replied in this thread??) and therefore I don't see how belittling someone will get you or them anywhere. His disappointment in himself outweighs my initial disappointment in him. Plus we will be much more productive in turning this situation around if we are working together and not sulking in our respective corners (has happened on occasion).

      Thanks for sharing your colleague's story. And yes, he is not very tech savvy either.

      • kanmen on 30/04/2020 - 11:48
        +3

        On the contrary, I think you've responded very well. People show their true colours at a time like this, some belittle and you haven't stooped as low in reaction. You're good people.

  • FareEvader on 29/04/2020 - 22:46

    This scam is ancient, surprised you guys haven't heard of it before. I hate scams and scammers, I would suggest you just give it away to family and friends as gifts.

  • Deridas on 30/04/2020 - 00:53

    Thanks for the PSA OP. I am surprised how common and successful this scam is after reading.

    • Kathrifty on 30/04/2020 - 20:16
      +2

      You're welcome! Sharing the story was to inform more people who may have not heard about these more elaborate scams before. It wasn't to be told how silly we were to fall for it (because we can't exactly reverse our actions can we?), but I don't mind taking that hit to get the word out…otherwise I really would have just asked how to use iTunes cards without telling the scam story too :P

      I do wish I've even heard an inkling about a boss+gift cards scam because I feel like I would have picked it up (notwithstanding the fact that I should have picked it up regardless).

  • BargainMac on 30/04/2020 - 03:52

    Hi OP,
    A1. Try contacting the stores first, maybe check with the manager and try to get it refunded.
    A2. Unless you are buying software or apps, they are not much of the use.

  • arkanis50 on 30/04/2020 - 09:03

    Someone on Whirlpool got caught out with this - was new to the company and had previously been asked to buy Apple cards as gifts to employees.

    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/32kxzwn9

  • Zangetsu on 30/04/2020 - 09:10

    Happened to 2 people at my workplace and it was eventually reimbursed by our insurer. Lot of work though

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 30/04/2020 - 12:41

    I didn't have time to read the thread, but a scam I've witnessed recently in Australia involved scammers replying to previous real conversations via email (to make it look real), but via a new email address (without spoofing the original one). This indicates an email server was previously compromised (it may still be but the replies won't alert the impersonated sender).

    So the scammer writes a script that picks a single email thread per sender from previous conversations and tests the "pool". The example I saw was a file (probably a virus/trojan), but it can be extended to anything. In this case, other people should have been sent emails as well, since otherwise it's targetted.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/04/2020 - 13:57

    Very long winded way of asking if you can return unused iTunes vouchers

    • Kathrifty on 30/04/2020 - 14:48
      +2

      It was actually the very first thing I asked - if you ended up reading the whole back story (which was more for educational purposes) then I just repeated myself… Conclusions often reiterate the introductions right? :)

      (One thing husband is good at is not being long winded, and he has frequently told me I need to start with the more important things first).

  • Dagwood-Dog on 30/04/2020 - 13:58
    +1

    HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

  • justwii on 30/04/2020 - 14:11

    Where is the plot twist?

    • Kathrifty on 30/04/2020 - 14:49
      +1

      If you can be bothered reading through the comments, it's where I either I get scammed selling the cards, or other people get scammed by me when I sell my "unused" cards ;)

      • justwii on 30/04/2020 - 18:27

        May be its actually his boss using a different private email address😁
        Did he go back and check with his boss or its all his own thinking from the start to the end?

  • Herbse on 30/04/2020 - 14:20
    +7

    My daughter asked me for an iTunes gift card for her birthday. After few this list I said NO and blocked her from my life. Thanks for the heads up on the scam.

  • hypie on 30/04/2020 - 14:24

    As someone who previously worked for JB hi-fi. I'm pretty disappointed that this sort of thing still happens. Every JB Hi-Fi cashier knows about these scams and should be asking the buyers WHY they are buying the cards. I would head about so many of these stories… it's just being a nice human. Don't sell someone hundreds of dollars worth of iTunes cards unless they have a damn good reason.

    Answers usually:
    1) My computer has been hacked and the virus is asking me to do it.
    2) A Nigerian prince has asked me to buy these cards in order to claim my million dollar inheritance.
    3) I need to pay off my ATO/Centrelink debt.

    edit: To answer the question about whether JB Hi-Fi will return them. I'm not sure what the policy is now, but I personally wouldn't have approved returning it unless Apple guaranteed a credit.

    • Kathrifty on 30/04/2020 - 14:54

      To the credit of the staff member at JB Hi fi, she did warn me about scams, but gave the ATO one as an example… And I was like "Oh yes, but this one is my husband's boss asking him to buy gifts for clients, so not asking us to pay a 'debt' at all". I found it ironic later that I had kind of been warned!

      Hard for staff to fully be aware of all the different types of scams I guess?

      And no, couldn't get a refund in store, or when we emailed customer care later on.

      • hypie on 30/04/2020 - 15:08

        Fair play to her.

        Best ways to spend the money.

        Previously services like spotify, netflix (stopped accepting appleID payment) and others will allow you to subscribe using a AppleID and pay for the service using itunes credit.

        • Hirolol on 08/05/2020 - 09:43

          I can still pay Netflix through apple

    • justwii on 30/04/2020 - 18:38

      Shifting the blame to Apple?

      • hypie on 01/05/2020 - 10:35

        The blame is solely on the person responsible for buying the item incorrectly. However Apple has the ability to iTunes cards and provide a credit to the retailer. Why should JB Hi-Fi take a hit for OP's mistake.

        People don't return gift cards for a reason. iTunes/Steam/Microsoft/Adobe cards are no different. Once they are activated on Apple's system through POS, they are a pain to disable and even harder to validate whether someone has the codes.

    • Ughhh on 04/05/2020 - 19:41

      While the above 3 examples are absolutely ridiculous, ops scenario/reason is actually possible, and would fit into your "good reason".
      Unless you want to ask op questions that are borderline interrogation and condescending , "whys the CEO asking you to do this? what's your level at work? Nah, no way the CEO would ask you. Show me the email".
      I'm quite certain no staff would dare go this far, in fear of customer complaints and losing your job.

  • apiecost on 30/04/2020 - 15:35

    Perhaps there are things you're currently subscribed to that support payment with iTunes credit? I know that Netflix can no longer be paid with iTunes credit however there are others. For example, my wife subscribes to Zwift and she pays with iTunes credit, which we buy when it is 15-20% off.

  • ozoner on 30/04/2020 - 16:22

    Does your hubby want to buy and island I'm selling? Doesn't flood or anything. Just asking…

    • Kathrifty on 30/04/2020 - 17:43

      Only if it's in the Perth/Peel region, and you can chuck in a boat/skipper for free. It'd be nice to have a local getaway this weekend.

  • hasher22 on 30/04/2020 - 17:49
    +5

    OP, Your hubby was smart. I actually sent the codes to the scammer.

    Here's my whirlpool post.

    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/32kxzwn9

    Feel free to laugh at my stupidity and I 1000000% empathise with your husband.

    This can happen to anybody, given the work people are in.

    • Kathrifty on 30/04/2020 - 20:27
      +1

      Yes, your situation has been referenced a few times in the comments, with someone even suggesting you were my husband :P

      Didn't laugh at your "stupidity", though it is a bit funny that you're in tech (? I think I read that somewhere?), and I thought you told your story well. I like the detailed final update too 👍 (but I would, since I supposedly write things that require popcorn to get through…)

      I'm glad it worked out for you in the end! Just so inconvenient (and a little bit embarrassing) to try and sort it out right?

      • hasher22 on 30/04/2020 - 21:55

        Thankyou, im glad st george refunded the cash.

        Not in tech per say but im quite tech savvy than the average person. Though, it is comical how these ceo scams are piercing through to people and making people buy them in the first place

        • gimme on 01/05/2020 - 08:22

          Word is per se. Not taking the piss, at least you learned something from this thread.

    • bmerigan on 30/04/2020 - 21:54
      -2

      Just had a quick scan of your post. It doesn't seem right that you and several others wanted your bank to pay for your mistake. It wasn't a fraudulent transaction, so neither the bank nor the retailer should be forced to pay for it.

      • hasher22 on 30/04/2020 - 21:57

        It was a goodwill credit like with any other company, they looked at my account and they decided to refund. I am prob an exception given my status with st george.

        This goes with any company, alot of customers dispute telecommunications bills (I was in customer service billing) and I can guarantee you that 99% of the time the credits are goodwill from refunding late payment fees to large bills like $2000 because they were "unaware" they couldn't make international calls.

    • AustriaBargain on 01/05/2020 - 19:11

      Nice one my dude. I’d be too shamed to even tell my employer if it happened to me.

  • bmerigan on 30/04/2020 - 21:47

    It's a bit disappointing that a shop sold him ten $100 gift cards. There are signs up in some shops about the itunes giftcard scam.

    • ssquid on 30/04/2020 - 23:39

      If you read OP's post properly, that's not what happened.

      Coles says we can only buy 5, so to save time I go and buy the remaining 5 cards from JB hifi.

      • bmerigan on 01/05/2020 - 10:12

        Even 5 should raise questions.

    • AustriaBargain on 01/05/2020 - 19:12

      These shops hire kids and they have scam warnings at every checkout. Why would a kid know better than older people with real jobs.

  • striker5950 on 30/04/2020 - 22:57

    did the "CEO" have a thick indian accent by any chance and was his name john Richardson?

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 01/05/2020 - 09:57
    -1

    You're lucky it's only $1000 and you still have the unused gift cards.

    A particular company I won't name got scammed approx $650k last year…

    • hasher22 on 01/05/2020 - 15:34

      That's crazy, I'd like to know the scam details

  • jennkei on 01/05/2020 - 10:16

    Sorry this happened to you/your hubby! I know people who used a credit card have done chargebacks on games when they have decided they weren't happy with their in-game purchases, but the extra layer between the payment and credit here (as well as Apple account support, which I had a bad experience and zero faith in) might be the problem.

    Anyway, I can see you're already checking with the bank (unless you used cash to buy the cards..) so good luck and hope they are able to assist!

  • sauce2k on 01/05/2020 - 11:01

    My gf just told me yesterday her colleague got scammed the same way! She bought play store cards via 7-11 because her boss emailed her .

  • tik tok on 01/05/2020 - 19:07

    I'd be more concerned that someone knows the boss' email address and the fact that the guy was your husbands boss. The boss should probably be warning more staff about this.

    • AustriaBargain on 01/05/2020 - 19:08
      -1

      Maybe the boss left that information insecure in the first place.

    • ssquid on 01/05/2020 - 19:43
      +1

      Possibly nothing to do with their company, but a compromised server/account belonging to a company they deal with.

    • bmerigan on 02/05/2020 - 12:10
      -1

      It's generally not hard to find the CEO's name. Then make a fake email account somewhere like @gmail or @me or @yahoo etc. The email won't come from the boss's actual account.

  • evilol on 02/05/2020 - 12:10
    +1

    :( my colleague fall in to this scam in Christmas.. and LOST over 10K. Company decided to cover 3k of his lost.

    We only found out his situation when he almost max out his credit card and after 5 day, and want to pass the buying gift card to me. During the discussion, I known it must be scam and he was fxxxed. I have no idea why he come fall into the trap.

    He had went into local Coles 5 times to buy those gift card.

    • hypie on 02/05/2020 - 12:44

      That's devastating, good on the company for coming to the party. I think if they covered 30%, he surely should be able to recoup most of that money by selling the cards online at 30-40% off.

      • mapax on 02/05/2020 - 12:54

        Unless he had already handed the details across to the scammers?

        • evilol on 02/05/2020 - 12:57

          he had given all the detail to the scam :(
          Was only able to recoup about $110 left from gift card.

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