And 4 hours later, he found himself sitting in a parking lot with $3k worth of Target gift cards, reading the codes over the phone.

And why did my dad fall victim.

As it turns out, the ruse my dad got roped into — a variation of imposter scam — is the most common form of fraud in the United States.

According to Grubbs, there was only one way out: my dad had to convert the money to “government certified gift vouchers,” or gift cards..

In recent years, gift cards have become the scammer’s payment method du jour..

Last year, gift cards accounted for $102.9m in payments that victims made to scammers, and were requested in 4 out of 5 imposter scams. The reasons for this are simple: 1) They ensure anonymity, 2) They can be liquidated quickly, and 3) Once they are used, it’s nearly impossible to recoup lost funds.  .

$3,000 worth of Target gift cards purchased by my dad, per the scammer’s orders (Zachary Crockett / The Hustle).

My dad was instructed to go to Target — a popular destination for scammers — and purchase gift cards.

So, my dad found himself standing in line at Target, beading with sweat, flip phone on speaker in his pocket, buying two $500 gift cards.

Recently, Target imposed a gift card limit of $1,030 per store, per customer.

A placard by the gift cards at a Target store warns shoppers of scams (via reddit u/por_que_tacos).

But a common complaint among people who fall victim to gift card scams is that the stores’ prevention and education methods often fall short.

An hour later, the scammer (who he was still on the phone with) persuaded him to go to a nearby Safeway supermarket to buy another $2k in Target gift cards.

Sitting in a hot car in a parking lot, my dad scratched off the back of the gift cards and read the codes over the phone.

By this point, my dad had been on the phone for 4 hours and had spent $3k.

After being threatened with criminal charges and potential bankruptcy, a few thousand dollars in gift cards seems more palatable.

I also immediately called Target to cancel the cards, but the store claimed the cards had already been redeemed. 

(I later learned that 4 of the 6 cards weren’t redeemed until the following morning, which means Target could have taken action. As of 7/5, my dad currently has an open case with their gift card fraud department)

In the wake of this ordeal, my dad and I have spent hours on the phone with the FTC, the police, and Target’s fraud team

If you do fall victim to a gift card scam, immediately call the store where it was purchased — they might be able to cancel it in time