Need help - Gift Card Fraud

weepingsheep

Hi everyone, 
I have been a victim of gift card fraud! 
Background: 
I responded to a works email who pretended to be the CEO of the company who asked for my phone number to help with an errand, in which I provided. 
Then 5 minutes later I received a text message saying that they had my number saved onto their phone. 
They asked me via text to get 10 X £100 iTunes gift card (£1000 in total) from local supermarket to give to the participants of his meeting to secure a deal. 
I didn't question it as I was in 'work mode' and stupidly bought £1000 worth of iTunes gift cards. It was until after I told them I bought, they were aggressively trying to push me to scratch the code on the cards and send them via text and then by email to different email addresses. 
It was until then it raised my suspicion that this was some sort of fraud as I then asked my other colleagues what was my CEO's number to which I discovered did not match the contact number I was texting. 
I then went back home to further check the email to my realisation that it was a scam who pretended to be my CEO as the email address didn't match anyone within the company. 
Morrisons:
Morrisons was the supermarket I went to get the Itune cards and after I discovered it was a scam, it was hilarious and thankfully I didn't scratch any of the codes off and still had my receipts so I thought I could just get them refunded. 
However, a sharp shiver went through my spine to only discover and the realisation that the staff at the employee help desk said they are unable to refund any of it due to company policy in non-refundable gift cards.  
I therefore immediately sent an email to the head office, to where their initial response is to speak to Apple. However, when requested a call back from their manager they advised they are to look into it but I should contact Apple to try and get my money back to which I replied the money was taken from their Morrisons account. The manager is to look into this further and yet to call me back. 
Apple:
Apple were a little more helpful by asking me to contact the Police and to get a crime reference number. They also asked me to forward the none scratched cards over to them to null and void them but cannot guarantee that they will refund me to which I am skeptable about because as soon as I hand over the iTunes gift cards, I will literally have nothing, especially if they can't guarantee the refund. Also, they were pushing for me to have the £1000 into my iTunes account or go back to the Morrisons for a refund. 
HSBC Bank:
My bank was probably the better out of the all 3 options. They said once the payment has been debited, to contact their disputes team so they can raise a dispute with Morrisons. 
Please Help:
I feely utterly stupid out of the ordeal and I don't usually let my guard down like this when it comes to scams! However. looks like they did and nearly got what they wanted! 
Therefore I am asking the community for a help! It was funny at first and saw the humour in it all, the rest of my colleagues and friends laughed but when they said I can't get a refund I simply felt sick! 
I understand that Morrisons do have a refund policy for gift cards but as this is a unique case, should I not get my money back? especially when I haven't used the cards and still in my office desk draw with the receipt. 
£1000 maybe not alot of money but it was part of my savings :-(
I have been passed pillar to post with Morrisons and Apple are not guaranteeing my money back as soon as I give them the cards. 
What should I do?  

Aylesbury_Duck

Why not wait to see what HSBC do?  I can't see that Apple or Morrisons are obliged to help, because the fraud didn't involve them. You are the defrauded party so I would think it's your bank that might be able to help out of the three parties mentioned. 

mattyprice4004

Morrisons and Apple have absolutely no obligation towards you - and neither do HSBC, as you have had no material loss. 
You were told to buy £1000 of Gift Cards which you still have, so have not lost anything - you just have £1000 of Gift Cards instead of cash.

Unfortunately while it seems harsh, you are responsible for your own spending - you chose to buy them, so you're relying entirely on goodwill. You have NO right to a refund. 
Gift Cards tend to sell for 80-85% of their value, so perhaps you could sell them? Then you've only lost £200, which is a cheap price for an important lesson like this. 

davidmcn

If nothing else, you have £1000 of iTunes gift cards. I presume you can get much of that back by selling them on, if you're not going to use them yourself?

born_again

HSBC are never going to dispute them...... 

I would direct you to your CEO as they are responsible. Might get you sacked though for failing to follow procedure. As well as bribery & corruption are illegal....
But I guess they have not yet taught you that one.. 🤦‍♂️

shaun_from_Africa

born_again said:

I would direct you to your CEO as they are responsible. 

Why do you think that the CEO has any responsibility?
The email that the OP received wasn't from the CEO, it was simply from a scammer pretending to be the CEO.

sharpe106

I doubt HSBC will do anything as you still have the cards so what have you lost? You got what you paid for. You made the purchase nobody else cloned your card and made the purchase. The why you did it is not really HSBC issue.

Can’t see how any are obligated to help you but you may be lucky and get a refund from apple if they have not been used.

pulliptears

Something similar happened to my husband recently, when they spoofed his work email and sent a similar message to his team saying he needed £1000 in google play vouchers  asap for a meeting.  90% of staff realised something was amiss but 10% would have gone and purchased them had he not managed to send out an email telling them not to do it.

Frighteningly common in the last few months I believe.  Dont beat yourself up too much over it.

soolin

pulliptears said:

Something similar happened to my husband recently, when they spoofed his work email and sent a similar message to his team saying he needed £1000 in google play vouchers  asap for a meeting.  90% of staff realised something was amiss but 10% would have gone and purchased them had he not managed to send out an email telling them not to do it.

Frighteningly common in the last few months I believe.  Dont beat yourself up too much over it.

I think it Almost as frightening that people are apparently working for companies where it doesn’t seem at all odd for the CEO to ask them to do this. Do people seriously work for companies where they would consider this as normal behaviour? 

Aylesbury_Duck

soolin said:

pulliptears said:

Something similar happened to my husband recently, when they spoofed his work email and sent a similar message to his team saying he needed £1000 in google play vouchers  asap for a meeting.  90% of staff realised something was amiss but 10% would have gone and purchased them had he not managed to send out an email telling them not to do it.

Frighteningly common in the last few months I believe.  Dont beat yourself up too much over it.

I think it Almost as frightening that people are apparently working for companies where it doesn’t seem at all odd for the CEO to ask them to do this. Do people seriously work for companies where they would consider this as normal behaviour? 

That was my first thought when reading OP's tale.  What sort of company sends a member of staff on an errand to purchase a bribe in iTunes vouchers to close a deal?  I suppose if OP works for a notoriously dodgy company or CEO then the request was plausible.

calleyw

soolin said:

pulliptears said:

Something similar happened to my husband recently, when they spoofed his work email and sent a similar message to his team saying he needed £1000 in google play vouchers  asap for a meeting.  90% of staff realised something was amiss but 10% would have gone and purchased them had he not managed to send out an email telling them not to do it.

Frighteningly common in the last few months I believe.  Dont beat yourself up too much over it.

I think it Almost as frightening that people are apparently working for companies where it doesn’t seem at all odd for the CEO to ask them to do this. Do people seriously work for companies where they would consider this as normal behavior?

 

Glad its not just me that thinks as you do Soolin.  Why would a CEO/MD/Manager ask a member of staff to do such thing with their own money.  I can understand buying some toilet rolls or a jar of coffee and getting it back from petty cash.  But £1K in gc's?  Most CEO's in medium/large companies have a PA who would deal that sort of thing buying on a company credit card.  And most smaller companies you could go and directly talk to the CEO/MD/Manager.

Yours

Calley x