Someone spent my Tesco E-Gift Card without my knowledge or authorisation

osaka_23

Hi,

Please provide me with some advice.

On December 4, 2025, I purchased a Tesco gift card valued at £150 from Perkbox Ltd, which is an employee benefits and rewards platform.

I saved the gift card in my Google Wallet and used it only once, on December 15, 2025, to spend £32.06 at a Tesco in Stockport. However, without my knowledge or authorisation, someone spent the remainder of £117.94 balance on December 31, 2025.

I spoke with a Tesco customer service representative, who confirmed that the transaction occurred at a Tesco store in Rugby. As I previously stated, I live in Stockport and have never been to Rugby.

Furthermore, I would like to point out that I frequently purchase Tesco gift cards through Perkbox and have never had any problems before this incident. Furthermore, the customer service representative stated that there was nothing they could do "as all gift cards are treated like cash."

The screenshot below shows the transaction history of the gift card. I've highlighted the unrecognised transactions in yellow.

 

Fortunately, my debit and credit cards show no unusual or unauthorised transactions.

Can anyone explain how this occurred?

Finally, please advise me on what I should do. I've already emailed Perkbox and am awaiting a response, but should I report it to the police?

Many thanks in advance.

Aylesbury_Duck

Reporting it will generate a crime number which might be helpful if you pursue it, so I see no downside to doing so.

I'm unfamiliar with the mechanism of the gift card so could only guess what's happened.  The gift card was seemingly genuine because you were able to use it without difficulty.  Is it possible your online account has been compromised?  Good news that there appears to be no other dodgy activity elsewhere but I'd be changing passwords on other accounts ASAP as well as on this one, and add MFA if available.

Exodi

That is strange, when I read the title I assumed it was one of those middleman sites people sell gift cards to (e.g. cardyard), where the seller then used the gift cards after selling it to the platform (typically they hold the funds for a couple of weeks to limit this). This would also make sense with the timings in your scenario.

However you mention you purchased from Perk Box, which sources it's gift cards from direct partnerships. So that likely rules out an issue with the gift card outside of your control.

All I can think of now is either:

• Your account has been compromised - this could be email/rewards gateway/etc. Do you have MFA on your email and reward gateway account? I use Bravo, and they allow you to use an authenticator. MFA on email account is absolutely mandatory. In any case, I'd consider changing your passwords.
  
• The gift card was skimmed - this could be done in multiple ways, but the gist is the fraudster was able to record the gift card details, perhaps by comprising the self checkout at your Tesco (e.g. setting up a hidden camera to record barcode/card number/pin.
  
  

I can't see how it could be done any other way without accusing Perk Box of some quite hefty accusations. Unfortunately due to this, I can't see Perk Box being of much help, as they may suggest they fulfilled their end of the deal (providing you a £150 gift card) and any later compromise/skimming is totally out of their control.

osaka_23

Exodi said:

That is strange, when I read the title I assumed it was one of those middleman sites people sell gift cards to (e.g. cardyard), where the seller then used the gift cards after selling it to the platform (typically they hold the funds for a couple of weeks to limit this). This would also make sense with the timings in your scenario.

However you mention you purchased from Perk Box, which sources it's gift cards from direct partnerships. So that likely rules out an issue with the gift card outside of your control.

All I can think of now is either:

• Your account has been compromised - this could be email/rewards gateway/etc. Do you have MFA on your email and reward gateway account? I use Bravo, and they allow you to use an authenticator. MFA on email account is absolutely mandatory. In any case, I'd consider changing your passwords.
  
• The gift card was skimmed - this could be done in multiple ways, but the gist is the fraudster was able to record the gift card details, perhaps by comprising the self checkout at your Tesco (e.g. setting up a hidden camera to record barcode/card number/pin.
  
  

I can't see how it could be done any other way without accusing Perk Box of some quite hefty accusations. Unfortunately due to this, I can't see Perk Box being of much help, as they may suggest they fulfilled their end of the deal (providing you a £150 gift card) and any later compromise/skimming is totally out of their control.

Thanks, Exodi.

I've enabled MFA on my email account and registered my fingerprints with Google Wallet. So I'm baffled as to how this happened. 

Aylesbury_Duck

osaka_23 said:

Exodi said:

That is strange, when I read the title I assumed it was one of those middleman sites people sell gift cards to (e.g. cardyard), where the seller then used the gift cards after selling it to the platform (typically they hold the funds for a couple of weeks to limit this). This would also make sense with the timings in your scenario.

However you mention you purchased from Perk Box, which sources it's gift cards from direct partnerships. So that likely rules out an issue with the gift card outside of your control.

All I can think of now is either:

• Your account has been compromised - this could be email/rewards gateway/etc. Do you have MFA on your email and reward gateway account? I use Bravo, and they allow you to use an authenticator. MFA on email account is absolutely mandatory. In any case, I'd consider changing your passwords.
  
• The gift card was skimmed - this could be done in multiple ways, but the gist is the fraudster was able to record the gift card details, perhaps by comprising the self checkout at your Tesco (e.g. setting up a hidden camera to record barcode/card number/pin.
  
  

I can't see how it could be done any other way without accusing Perk Box of some quite hefty accusations. Unfortunately due to this, I can't see Perk Box being of much help, as they may suggest they fulfilled their end of the deal (providing you a £150 gift card) and any later compromise/skimming is totally out of their control.

Thanks, Exodi.

I've enabled MFA on my email account and registered my fingerprints with Google Wallet. So I'm baffled as to how this happened. 

Sounds like the skimming theory is likely, then.

I can see why Tesco and Perkbox aren't immediately refunding.  From their point of view, it's more likely that you or someone known to you used the balance (Rugby's not that far from Stockport) or that your account has been compromised.  Getting a crime number might be helpful - you're hardly likely to report yourself if you were the culprit.

flaneurs_lobster

I often buy Tesco (and Waitrose, M&S, Sainsburys) eGift Cards because I get 3-4% discount as cashback. 

But I buy them an hour (sometimes less) before I'm going to use them and the amount is always less than my total spend.

Why? Because the security protecting these vouchers is non-existent, you've bought a barcode worth £50 or whatever it might be. Can be screen-printed, copied, printed out, photographed. You can even just quote the number for online purchases or to a checkout operator. 

I want to minimise the opportunity for someone to use this code fraudulently, however it's been obtained, before I can spend it.

If the OP were not scrupulously honest, there is nothing stopping him emailing the barcode to his mate in Rugby, the mate spends the money, OP claims fraud and a refund.

It's far worse than cash, at least there you have physical bits of paper you can stick in your pocket.

And there's always the possibility that the thing simply doesn't work, good luck with the complaint procedure on that issue (see a post on here today from someone with exactly this issue, having bought the gift card from Tesco's own site). 

Hate them, use them every week.

osaka_23

Thank you for the advice. 

I have a positive update. 

Perk Box are going refund me the balance that I didn't use. The issue was a glitch on their end. 

MY NAME 

"Thanks for getting in touch.

We’re aware of an issue impacting some vouchers redeemed recently which may cause them to appear as already used, cancelled or rejected when you try to redeem them. 

We would be happy to offer a replacement voucher for the balance owed to you. If you’d prefer a refund instead, we can arrange that too, just reply to this message and let us know which option you prefer. 

We will do our best to sort this for you as quickly as we can. Please bear in mind a refund can take 3-5 days to reach your account. 

Kind regards,"

@flaneurs_lobster - Great advice. I am going to buy the e-gift cards just before I go to the shops.

Thanks everyone! 

born_again

osaka_23 said:

Thank you for the advice. 

I have a positive update. 

Perk Box are going refund me the balance that I didn't use. The issue was a glitch on their end. 

MY NAME 

"Thanks for getting in touch.

We’re aware of an issue impacting some vouchers redeemed recently which may cause them to appear as already used, cancelled or rejected when you try to redeem them. 

We would be happy to offer a replacement voucher for the balance owed to you. If you’d prefer a refund instead, we can arrange that too, just reply to this message and let us know which option you prefer. 

We will do our best to sort this for you as quickly as we can. Please bear in mind a refund can take 3-5 days to reach your account. 

Kind regards,"

@flaneurs_lobster - Great advice. I am going to buy the e-gift cards just before I go to the shops.

Thanks everyone! 

That's very good of them.
Given unless this is a internal issue or hack. Then they did not need to do so.

Grumpy_chap

It's great that the OP has a good outcome here.

Out of interest, does PERKBOX offer an app to buy gift cards on your phone?
I ask because I previously had access to Reward Gateway and they had an app so you could buy the gift cards "live" while standing in the queue to pay at the checkout.  That was instant code sent to the app on the phone and very useful as you could always buy just a little under whatever the bill would come to.

flaneurs_lobster

Grumpy_chap said:

It's great that the OP has a good outcome here.

Out of interest, does PERKBOX offer an app to buy gift cards on your phone?
I ask because I previously had access to Reward Gateway and they had an app so you could buy the gift cards "live" while standing in the queue to pay at the checkout.  That was instant code sent to the app on the phone and very useful as you could always buy just a little under whatever the bill would come to.

Don't know about Perkbox but Airtime (cashback as mobile phone credit) and Everup (cashback as cash) both have apps that I've used to buy gift cards in the supermarket prior to checkout.

Both these apps have their quirks/restrictions in how you add payment methods and need a bit of research, and the cashback rates vary from day-to-day, so not exactly straightforward but neither has ever failed to supply valid gift cards.

commathingy

Same seems to have happened to me. Bought £500 Sainsburys and £200 Tescos gift caards on Perkbox in early december. No unautgorised acces and didnt share but both fully emptied on 30th december, in various locations across UK. Contacted perkbox today and awaiting response