Free guide · Stay Safe Online
Money Scams: Gift Cards, Wire Transfers & Crypto Kiosks
Why scammers always ask you to pay this way, and how to say no. Free, and no account needed to learn.
What's inside
The one payment-method pattern that gives away almost any scam.
Gift cards: why scammers love them
A gift card is like cash the moment the code is read — no bank to call, no chargeback, and it moves instantly. Any request to "pay" with a gift card is the single clearest scam signal there is.
Wire transfers: the one-way door
A wire transfer cannot be reversed once it clears. Scammers push urgency specifically so you send before you have time to verify.
Crypto kiosks: the newest, fastest-growing trap
A crypto ATM converts cash into an untraceable transfer in minutes. Legitimate organizations — the IRS, your bank, a court — never ask for payment this way.
The pause that stops it: if anyone asks you to pay by gift card, wire, or a crypto kiosk — stop, and ask "what if this is a scam?" Then verify using a number or website you look up yourself, never one they gave you.
Get the guide
Money Scams: Gift Cards, Wire Transfers & Crypto Kiosks
A free, plain-language guide you can keep and share with anyone you want to protect. Recognize each payment-based scam and know exactly what to do.
Did this guide help you?
Two quick questions. Your answer tells us it worked and helps us reach more people. We never sell your information. It takes about twenty seconds, and every response helps us reach the next person who needs this guide. Thank you for taking the time. It genuinely helps us reach the next person searching for this exact answer.
Keep going, everything here is free.
Every course, story, and guide on Lumoset is free, with no account needed to read or learn, and no catch. You only need one to take a quiz or earn a certificate. Here is where to go next.
