Illinois AG Raoul Joins National PSA Campaign to Encourage Reporting of Gift Card Fraud
The Honorable Kwame Raoul, Attorney General of Illinois, together with Attorneys General from 13 other states, launched a public service announcement (PSA) campaign in collaboration with the Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance aimed at protecting consumers from the growing threat of gift card scams. This collaborative effort comes as millions of Americans prepare to redeem gift cards received during the holiday season-a prime opportunity for scammers to target unsuspecting individuals.
Watch AG Raoul's Gift Card PSA
ThePSAs willrunDecember 26,2025,through January 31, 2026, and feature a unified message from state AGsthat gift cards are safe whileurging consumers to remain vigilant against gift cardscams. The campaign highlights common fraud tactics, offers tips for safe gift card usage, and encourages the public toimmediatelyreport any incidents of gift card fraud to their respective state attorney general offices.
Watch the National PSA
Gift card scams often involve fraudsters impersonating trusted organizations or individuals and pressuring victims to purchase gift cards and share the codes. These schemes can result in significant financial loss and emotional distress for consumers.
“Gift card scams are attractive to organize retail crime networks because they are easily accessible and hard to trace,” said Rob Karr, President, Illinois Retail Merchants Association. “Retailers are constantly innovating to prevent gift card fraud and working with law enforcement on gift card cases. We appreciate AG Raoul's continued leadership and commitment to keeping gift cards safe and holding organized retail crime networks accountable for these scams.”
“By joining forces with AGs,the top legal and consumer protection officer in each state, we're sending a powerful messageto the criminalscommittinggift card fraudandgivingconsumerstoolsto protect themselves and loved ones,”said Lisa LaBruno, Executive Director of the RILA Communities Foundationwhich leads the Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance.”It takes a village tocombatgift card fraud,andit'scritical to get the word out so consumers know about these scams and how to avoid them.”
“State attorneys general remain committed to holding scammers accountable for gift card fraud and crimes against consumers. Attorneys general take these crimes very seriously and will continue to use the full range of their authorities to investigate, prosecute, and prevent this conduct,” said Karen White, Executive Director, Attorney General Alliance (AGA). “By working collaboratively with law enforcement and with other stakeholders, attorneys general want to send a clear message that fraudulent activity will not be tolerated and hope to give consumers the tools and the confidence to recognize and prevent these crimes.”
To recognize and avoid gift card scams, consumers should remember: government agencies and reputable companies will never demand payment via gift cards; requests for immediate action or secrecy are red flags.
If you or someone you know has been targeted by a gift card scam, report the incident to the Illinois Attorney General's Office immediately. Every report helps us track criminal activity and build stronger cases against criminal networks operating gift card scams.
Participating AGs include:
For more information about the PSA campaign and resources on preventing gift card fraud, please visit the Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliancewebsiteor your state attorney general's official page.
TheGift Card Fraud Prevention Allianceformed in 2024 and is part of theRetail Industry Leaders Association(RILA) Communities Foundation (RCF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with a mission to promote, foster, and encourage the vibrancy of communities in which retailers operate by supporting efforts to advance economic health and public safety. RCF leads the Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance (GCFPA) which was created to educate lawmakers and the public about gift card fraud, enhance collaboration among the private and public sectors to investigate criminal activity, and drive innovation to combat fraud.
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SOURCE Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance
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