A North Carolina influencer said a quick search to check a Sephora gift card balance turned into a scam after she entered the card number and PIN on a fake website.
Nancy Lucas, who posts on TikTok as @nancy.lucas, said she received a Sephora gift card as a payout for a video, according to The Mary Sue.
Instead of going through Sephora’s app or official website, Lucas said she searched for a balance-check page and clicked the first result she saw.
She Clicked the First Balance-Check Result
@nancy.lucas It’s fine. It was just a gift card. 🥲 #storytime #scammers ♬ original sound – Nancy 🦂✨
Lucas said she was not a regular Sephora shopper and did not know the quickest way to check the card’s balance.
She searched “Sephora gift card balance,” expecting the search engine to take her to the right page. Instead, she said the top result led to a convincing-looking fake site.
Lucas entered the gift card number and PIN. When the page froze, she entered the same information again, according to The Mary Sue.
Only afterward did she notice that the official Sephora page had appeared below the result she clicked.
The Card Was Drained About 15 Minutes Later
Lucas then went to the real Sephora platform, loaded the gift card onto her official account, and added it to her Apple Wallet.
About 15 minutes later, she said she received a transaction alert showing that the money had been removed from the card. The remaining balance was only $1, according to The Mary Sue.
The exact original gift card amount was not stated in the report. Once a card number and PIN are entered on a fake page, the balance can be used without anyone stealing the physical card.
Lucas used the TikTok story to warn other shoppers not to rely on search results when checking gift card balances.
The Fake Page Asked for Details a Real Page Also Needs
The scam works because the fake page asks for information that a real gift-card page may also require.
Sephora’s official gift card page allows customers to check a balance by entering a 16-digit gift card number and PIN. Sephora also lists 1-888-860-7897 as the phone number customers can call to hear a balance.
That overlap is what makes fake balance-check pages dangerous. A shopper may not realize anything is wrong because the request itself looks normal.
The safer habit is to type the retailer’s official address into the browser, use the retailer’s app, scan a QR code only if it comes from trusted packaging, or call the number printed on the card itself.
Fake Balance-Check Sites Can Empty Cards Fast
The Federal Trade Commission says a gift card number and PIN can let a scammer take the money loaded on the card. The agency tells consumers to keep a copy of the card and receipt and report gift card scams to the card company right away.
McAfee has also warned about bogus balance-checking sites that promise to show a gift card balance but are actually phishing pages. Once the card information is entered, scammers have what they need to steal the balance.
The Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance gives shoppers the same advice: check gift card balances only through official websites or the phone number on the back of the card.
What To Do Before and After a Gift Card Is Drained
Before checking any gift card balance, consumers should avoid clicking search ads, sponsored results, emails, text links, or third-party “balance checker” pages. The safest options are the retailer’s official app, the exact website printed on the card, or the phone number on the back of the card.
Anyone who already entered a gift card number and PIN on a suspicious site should contact the gift card company immediately and ask whether the balance can be frozen or restored. The FTC says consumers should report gift card scams to the card company and keep a copy of the card and store receipt.
Consumers should also save screenshots of the website, browser history, confirmation messages, alerts, transaction times, receipts, emails, and any remaining balance information.
The scam can also be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If personal information beyond the gift card number and PIN was shared, consumers should monitor bank accounts, watch for suspicious emails or texts, and consider filing an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov.
