Fraud help: used gift card, now what?

[Snowstorming]

Hi wise Mumsnetters, urgently need some advice!

I bought an item from Currys which came with a £500 gift card as a promotion. Used my debit card to buy a Currys gift card and I used my own gift card to make this big purchase. I then received the item and the £500 gift card. The next day, I tried using the gift card and it only had £10 left on it. Someone had used it to buy Apple gift cards, according to the purchase history.

I went back in store, they said this was an online purchase so they can’t help.

I have tried emailing customer service and had no response. The email is “dgisadmin @ currys.co.uk” and literally nothing.

I am not sure what to do next. I made the purchase in March 2025 and still no contact at all.

any advice please?

Apparently it is quite a common scam, similar was on news this week, but more often with in person purchased cards with the strip scratched off. Who sent you the card in question, could it have been activated by them or in transit before you recieved it?

It’s a Currys gift card that was emailed to me. All online.

really upset about losing such a big amount! :(

I don’t think that’s the right email address. Google who to contact and phone / chat / or email them. Make sure it’s actually curry’s website as somethings not right somewhere.

So this happened in March and you haven't even phoned Currys to try to sort it out?

I mean, at the risk of stating the obvious that's the first thing you should have done, surely.

I worked at Argos for many years and you ain’t meant to be able to buy a gift card with a gift card due to the scams . Curry’s must blhave a different policy .

Why did you buy a gift card for yourself to then purchase the item? Why didn’t you just use your debit card to purchase the item?

What did curry’s say when you called them?

Technically I used my gift card to buy the item, which came with a free gift card. Does that make sense or am I confusing you guys more 🥲

Sorry should have clarified!

I get a discount from my employer which is basically “discounted gift cards”. So if I use my debit card on my employer rewards website, I can buy a £100 gift card for £90 but still have the full £100 value. I was trying to save as much money as possible as it was a large purchase 😅 Totally backfired since the free gift card ended up being used in fraud.

Yes I have phoned and visited the branch but they all direct me to the same email address, from which I have received no response at all.

Go through resolver.

If there is a solution or if you’re entitled to anything from curry’s, the resolver website will really help you. If you’re not entitled to anything then you may just have to report it to action fraud and move on. But try resolver - they help consumers and it’s free.

Don’t go into detail about buying a gift card to buy the item. Just say you bought an item with an offer of a £500 gift card, but the card had been used. Keep it simple and then give more info if needed but your purchase method doesn’t really factor in here.

It makes sense. We have a discount via work, but you have to buy a currys gift card which you then use to make the purchase.

Eg. Tv is £500 if I buy Currys voucher of £500 value I am charged £400. I use the £500 gift card to buy £500 tv (but it only cost me £400).

In OPs case the 'tv' came with a £500 gift card.

Double check that email address that you’ve written on here, as I’m fairly sure it should be DSGI at the beginning (I used to work for Curry’s/Dixons Store Group)

(a) WHY did you buy a gift card in order to buy this item?
(wouldn't you have had more protection as a consumer if you'd used your bank card or even better a credit card?)

(b) WHY do you think Currys would just give away £500 with every purchase of this item? (rather than just offering a £500 discount on its price, or another offer?) or did you buy it from a third party?

(c) WHY wait 5 months to check the 'gift card' and realise it's been used by someone else? Is there a chance that someone else in your house/life came across it and used it in that time?

Well then phone again, and tell them you've tried emailing to no response, and get a number of a person who can actually help you. Emails can be ignored; it's harder to ignore someone on the end of a phone.

very helpful! Thank you, going to check this now too. the one I wrote here is the one I was given by the staff who said this email deals with gift cards.

Honestly I am quite a nervous person lol which doesn’t help in situations like this :(

I think you misread some of my post.

i used a gift card to buy the item because it’s part of my workplace reward system, i explained this in a previous message.

it was all done on the official curry’s website and I received my items from curry’s, all confirmed and legit. They do a lot of promotions like this actually.

i noticed it was empty the morning after I received it, when I tried using it. I have been waiting 5 months for a solution.

Try these email addresses

[email protected] or [email protected] he's the ceo.

Resending my emails now!

If anyone else has any other tried and tested advice then pls let me know!

Why did you buy it using a gift card?

I explained why a few posts back x

work discount :)

How the OP paid for it isn't the issue, ignore.
The issue is that she received a gift card as part of the sale & some scrote has spent it already.

NB. Many employers offer a 'rewards' scheme whereby you buy a gift card via an app & use it to make your purchase. My former employers used to do this - I thought it was a lot of faff tbh.

If you're still stuck, try this Reddit thread OP: https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/1da4rhb/currys_have_taken_my_gift_card_balances_and_not/

The person on there was in the same situation as you, and got a reply and everything sorted the next day from one of the email addresses suggested to him.