Someone asked me to pay with a game key or gift card. Is it a scam?
Yes. No real tax office, bank, police force, tech support team, delivery company or prize draw will ever ask you to pay with a game key or a gift card. Scammers ask for them because a code can be spent in seconds and can't be traced or reversed. If someone is telling you to buy a key and read them the code, stop. Don't buy it and don't share it.
A game key is only worth anything to the person who redeems it. Once someone else has redeemed your code, it's gone, and nobody can get it back for you.
If someone has asked you to pay them in codes:
- 1
Stop, and don't buy anything else. Pressure to act right now is part of the script.
- 2
Don't read out, type or photograph any code. A code you've sent is a code that's spent.
- 3
Hang up or stop replying, even if they threaten you.
- 4
Check the story with someone you trust, or with the organization itself, using a phone number or website you already know rather than one they gave you.
- 5
If you've already bought codes from Andalu and haven't revealed them yet, contact us straight away with your order number, before you reveal the key or eSIM.
- 6
Report the scam to your local police or your national fraud reporting service.
- 7
If you paid by card, tell your bank too. They can watch for further payments.
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Still stuck?
If you think you've been scammed through an order with us, contact us with your order number and a short description of what happened. We reply by email, usually within a day.