Scam, Fraud and Phishing Prevention
Online payment cards and digital gift cards are often used by scammers to trick innocent people into losing their money. Once redeemed, these products leave no trace to the scammer. On this page, we inform you about ongoing scam and fraud attempts that we know of. If your code has been shared, we unfortunately cannot assist you. If you have not shared the code yet, please contact our Customer Support to see what can be done.
Most online scams use the same tactics: urgency, emotional manipulation, fake identities, phishing attempts, or requests for gift card payments. Here are some common warning signs to watch out for:
1. Someone Asks You to Pay with a Gift Card
Gift cards should only be used on the official website or service they belong to. If someone asks you to use a gift card to pay for a product, service, bill, or fee, it's likely a scam.
2. Emotional Stories and Urgent Requests
Scammers often invent emergencies to pressure you into sending money or gift cards quickly.
3. Fake Emails from Trusted Organisations
Phishing emails may pretend to come from your bank, PayPal, Amazon, Apple, Google, or a government agency. They often ask you to click a link or provide sensitive information.
4. Unexpected Text Messages with Payment Links
Fraudulent SMS messages may claim you owe money, missed a delivery, or need to verify an account.
Only buy a gift card for your own use or as a gift for someone you know personally. Fraudsters/ scammers want to get paid with untraceable online cards. We cannot trace scammers through the payment this way. Always make sure to use a traceable payment method for online transactions. Gift card codes are instantly redeemable and cannot be refunded. They are lost to you the second you share the code with someone else.
- Delivery Fee Scams
Scenario: You buy an item through an online marketplace and are told that a shipping or delivery fee must be paid before the product can be sent.
How they trick you: Scammers send fake emails impersonating delivery companies such as DHL, UPS, or DPD. They claim a shipping fee, insurance fee, or processing charge is required and ask you to pay using a gift card. Once you share the gift card code, the scammer redeems it and disappears. The item is never shipped.
Stay safe: Legitimate delivery companies do not ask for payment via gift cards. Always verify shipping requests directly with the seller and the courier's official website.
Read more: How to Avoid Parcel Delivery Scams
- Facebook Marketplace Scams
Scenario: You find a great deal on an online marketplace and are ready to buy or sell an item. The other person insists on using gift cards as payment.
How they trick you: Scammers often create fake profiles, avoid meeting in person, and pressure you to act quickly. Fake sellers ask for gift card codes before shipping an item, then disappear without delivering anything. Fake buyers may offer gift cards as payment, but the cards are invalid, empty, or already redeemed.
Stay safe: Never use gift cards to buy or sell items on online marketplaces. Use secure payment methods and be cautious of anyone who refuses to meet in person or creates a sense of urgency.
Read more: How to Avoid Facebook Marketplace Scams
- Dating or Escort Scams
Scenario: You meet someone on a dating site, social media, webcam platform, or escort service. They ask you to pay upfront to keep talking, access explicit content, or book a service.
How they trick you: Scammers create a sense of trust, attraction, or urgency, then ask for payment before anything happens. They often request gift card codes through WhatsApp, social media, or a specific website. Once you send the code, they redeem it and disappear. The service, content, or meeting never happens.
Stay safe: Never pay for dating, webcam, or escort services with gift cards, and never share a gift card code with someone you do not personally know and trust.
- Romance Scams
Scenario: You meet someone on a dating app or social media and develop a close relationship over time. After gaining your trust, they share a personal emergency or financial problem and ask you to buy gift cards to help them.
How they trick you: Scammers spend weeks or even months building an emotional connection. They often use excessive affection, compliments, and promises of a future together to gain your trust quickly. Once you're emotionally invested, they create a sense of urgency and ask for money or gift cards to solve a supposed crisis.
Stay safe: Never send gift cards or money to someone you have only met online, no matter how genuine the relationship may seem.
Read more: Romance Scams & How To Avoid Them
- Social Media Giveaway & Contest Scams
Scenario: You see a giveaway or contest on social media that appears to be from dundle, a brand, or even a friend. You're told you've won a prize or can enter to win a valuable product.
How they trick you: Scammers create fake social media accounts, impersonate brands, or hack existing accounts to make the offer look legitimate. They then ask you to buy a gift card and share the code to claim your prize, validate your entry, or cover a processing fee. Once you send the code, the scammer redeems it and disappears. The giveaway, contest, or prize never existed.
Stay safe: Legitimate contests and giveaways will never require you to purchase a gift card or share a gift card code to claim a prize.
- Adopt a Pet Scams
Scenario: You find a rare breed pet online offered for free or at a very low price. The seller shares an emotional story and asks you to cover veterinary, transport, or adoption costs using gift cards.
How they trick you: Scammers create convincing websites, social media profiles, and fake pet listings to gain your trust. They may provide fake shipping details, tracking numbers, or delivery updates to make the offer seem legitimate. Once you send the payment or gift card, they ask for additional fees—or disappear entirely. The pet never arrives because it never existed.
Stay safe: Never pay pet-related fees with gift cards, and always verify the seller and pet in person whenever possible.
Read more about Online Pet Scams: How to Avoid Pet Scams
If someone asks you to buy a gift card, share a gift card code, send money urgently, or provide sensitive personal information, stop and verify the situation before taking any action.
Remember: legitimate businesses, delivery companies, banks, government agencies, and customer support teams do not ask for payment using gift cards.
When in doubt, take a step back, verify the request independently, and contact the organisation directly through its official website.
Don't send any more codes. Keep in mind: Digital products are immediately redeemable and non-refundable. Once you send the code to someone else, you can consider it stolen. Victims of fraud or scam should contact their local police as soon as possible to file a report and get in touch with a possible fraud help desk in their area.
Please note that if you contact dundle Customer Support to report fraud, we may restrict future purchases on our website as a precautionary measure to help protect you.
We are very sorry if someone tricked you into giving away your code. Please note that digital gift card codes are immediately redeemable and, therefore, non-refundable. As specified in our Terms & Conditions, we cannot take products back, refund, or exchange products that have already been delivered to you. We are unable to send you a refund if you gave away your delivery email or digital code to:
- A person in real life.
- A WhatsApp number.
- An email address.
- An online form.
- A website to redeem it on.
- Any social media account.
- Any online marketplace.
- Any online chat.
Please report your scam case to the officials. Here is a list of helpful links per country:
United Kingdom:
United States:
Australia:
New Zealand: