Reddit Scam Pattern
Executive impersonation and unsolicited payment requests via text
13 reports · first seen 13 July 2026 · last seen 14 July 2026
Scammers send unsolicited texts or messages impersonating company executives, board members, or known services to prompt gift card purchases, money transfers, or responses that lead to further exploitation. Small unsolicited deposits may precede refund-request fraud.
How the scam works
SMS and messaging platform impersonation of authority figures or brands to solicit gift card codes, vouchers, or responses enabling follow-on fraud.
Brands impersonated
Member posts on Reddit (13)
- Text from known contact with my nickname
A person received a text from a long-lost acquaintance using their nickname; it was unclear whether the contact was genuine or a scam precursor.
reddit · 14 July 2026 · other
- Never made a RingGo Parking account, and now I’m having the RingGo Parking Scam texts
A person without a RingGo account received unsolicited RingGo parking-related scam texts, a pattern reported by local news.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · sms_scam
- Someone pretended to be my CEO and almost got me to send $300 in gift-card codes.
A new intern was tricked by a fake CEO message into buying $300 in gift cards and sharing the codes.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · impersonation
- [US] Multiple deposits by Zelle
A person received five unsolicited Zelle deposits totalling $76 over two weeks with no accompanying refund request yet.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · other
- [CO, USA] Message from a supposed board member at my work.
An employee received texts from someone impersonating a board member asking them to purchase voucher or store cards for a surprise.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · impersonation
- [US] You need to contact apple support if you are victim of apple gift card scam
A victim of a boss-impersonation Apple gift card scam successfully had the cards frozen by opening an Apple support case and recovered funds as Apple credit.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · informational
- (INDIA) Someone is pretending to be my friend with AI pic on social media
An unknown actor created fake social media accounts using a person's real photos mixed with AI-generated images across multiple platforms.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · impersonation
- [ROMANIA] go Keep getting Uber confirmation codes (even by WhatsApp)
A person without the Uber app received repeated login confirmation codes via SMS, WhatsApp, and email indicating ongoing account takeover attempts.
reddit · 14 July 2026 · phishing
- [AU] Kind of weirded out by this random number
An Australian received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number that addressed them by a nickname only known to close friends in person.
reddit · 14 July 2026 · other
- Nextdoor crazy offer(Canada)
A Nextdoor post offered $7,000 to the first five people to message a keyword, a likely advance-fee or data-harvesting lure.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · advance_fee
- [UK] Legit or scam message from a process server?
A UK resident received repeated identical texts from a supposed process server claiming to have documents to deliver, with follow-up missed calls.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · phone_scam
- [US/KENYA] ETARush.com Somehow Has My Passport Number?
A traveller using ETARush.com for Kenyan visa assistance received a confirmation email unexpectedly containing their correct passport number and birthdate.
reddit · 13 July 2026 · phishing
- US “Hope you remember me.” scam text from 416 area code?
A US recipient received an unsettling 'Hope you remember me' text from a Toronto 416 area code registered to a business called Happy Basement.
reddit · 5 July 2026 · phishing