The Fake College Club Advisor Who Asked a Student to Buy Xbox Gift Cards

An email marked urgent comes from someone who appears to advise your college club. They ask for your number so they can explain over text.

You’ve volunteered to help with events before. This time, the favor comes with a trip to the store.

Overview

The student thought the cards might be for an event

A college student who helped with club events said two urgent emails appeared to come from one of the group’s advisers. The sender asked for a phone number.

Over text, the person asked the student to buy Xbox gift cards for an upcoming presentation. The club used raffle prizes at events, so the request sounded possible.

The student bought one $250 card and shared the code after being told it was needed to check activation. The sender soon asked for another card.

The student called the real adviser through a different number. According to the student, the adviser confirmed the impersonation and said another member had received the same approach.

Checking activation is the story that gets the code out of your hands

A store receipt can show whether a card was activated. Someone on the phone or in a text thread does not need the secret code to check the receipt.

The University of Pennsylvania’s security office documents campus scams in which people posing as officials ask for urgent card purchases and demand the codes afterward.

Look for this combination:

• An unfamiliar email uses the name of a real adviser or staff member.
• The sender asks you to switch to a personal number or text.
• An event or presentation supposedly cannot wait for a normal purchase.
• You are told to use personal funds while the club sorts out repayment.
• The sender asks you to reveal the redemption code to check the card.

Whether a club sometimes buys prizes is a separate question from whether this particular person has authority to purchase them. Verify the actual request before spending your money.

The first real callback changed the situation

The student said they had never directly interacted with the adviser. They did know how the club normally organized events. Both facts made the message feel possible.

Reaching the adviser independently gave the student an answer the text contact could never provide. The club warned its members after seeing the details.

A genuine adviser can give the same answer through the campus directory, group’s established contact, or in person. Use one of those routes while the request can still wait.

How the Scam Works

Step 1: An urgent email borrows a real person’s name

The email does not have to get the whole request in front of you. Asking for the best number to reach you can feel like a routine first step.

Open the school’s directory or use a club contact you already know. Compare the address with earlier messages and check whether the person actually needs to reach you.

If the wording mentions an event, look at the club calendar. Ask the organizer whether the fundraiser, presentation, or raffle matches a scheduled activity.

Do not send your phone number simply to keep the conversation moving. You can respond through the verified school or club channel after checking who wrote to you.

Step 2: A personal text makes the task feel immediate

The text asks where you are and when you can get to the store. It may feel like your adviser is waiting for you to finish the errand.

Use a different conversation to ask the treasurer or adviser whether the club approved it. A private text should not become the only record for a club purchase.

If you are on your way to class or work, stop before you pay. An actual organizer can tell you who approved the purchase and how it should be documented.

Save the contact and the earliest message before blocking it. The original email and a later text may help campus security link reports from multiple students.

Step 3: The sender asks for the card number as an activation check

In this case, the student was asked for the code from the back of the card. The sender claimed it was needed to confirm activation.

Check the purchase with the retailer or issuer directly. A code can let somebody redeem the value. Protect it even when someone says they will use it for a presentation.

If somebody wants proof of purchase, send it only through the confirmed school process. Keep the redemption code hidden and redact other information the policy does not require.

If you already sent the code, contact the issuer as soon as you can. Do not wait for the person who has it to admit why they wanted it.

Step 4: The next payment request gives you a chance to stop

After getting the first code, the sender requested another card. That made the initial purchase look like the start of a longer task rather than the whole request.

Stop when any second request appears, even if you already sent the first one. Verify what the club has approved and what remains your own money.

The real adviser and club president can warn others without publishing your code or card receipt. Give the appropriate official contact a private copy of the evidence.

If the scammer still claims the errand is unfinished, keep the message. Tell the issuer and school about the earlier disclosure instead of arguing with the sender.

Who Can Verify a Club Purchase

The adviser may be able to confirm the event, but the club treasurer or student activities office may control spending. Ask who can approve the specific amount and purpose.

Check whether your group has a purchasing card or reimbursement form. A public announcement can be genuine even if somebody invents a private request around it.

If the sender names a campus building, program, or presentation, verify that detail without supplying your own schedule or location.

A real event can be used as the backdrop for impersonation.

When you contact the club directly, include the asked-for amount and gift card type. Those are useful facts for somebody who is checking whether other members saw the same story.

If coworkers or classmates want to warn a group, point to the messages’ features without spreading a private phone number or any unredeemed code.

If you bought the card but kept its code private

Keep the card and receipt. Ask the store or issuer which options apply to that purchase before you redeem anything or send the code to another person.

Give the issuer the time and store if it needs to check activation. Use only the contact information it publishes through its own website or app.

Do not assume that a receipt guarantees a refund, particularly once a physical card was activated. Get the actual result from the retailer or issuer.

If the club paid you back for the purchase, tell it what happened before using the card. Keep the club expense and the fraud report connected through the verified treasurer.

What Student Groups Can Put in Place Before the Next Event

Publish one route for purchase requests and tell new members where to find it. A club can explain at orientation which officer approves spending and which records are required.

If a real event needs gift cards, decide who buys them, how the cost is recorded, and where they are stored. Tell volunteers they can pause any unexpected request.

Use your established group channel to warn members promptly if an adviser is impersonated.

Mention which request to ignore and where to ask questions. Leave private phone numbers out of it.

If the group’s calendar or sign-up list was public, the school may want to review what information appears there. A public event detail can make an impersonation sound less random.

Make it easy to verify a request outside the same conversation. Post the student activities office’s real contact inside the club’s usual materials, where incoming messages do not control it.

If an adviser receives reports from two students, ask each to keep their own original email. Similar subject lines can arrive through different accounts.

Prevent a real reimbursement from becoming a second confusion

Use the school’s established reimbursement paperwork for an expense it actually approved. If you made a personal purchase in response to a scam, tell the adviser how it happened.

Ask which office handles the financial record if club funds were used. Give it the receipt without putting card credentials into a public discussion.

If you bought a card but it has not been redeemed, ask the issuer about your options before using it.

An unused code may be treated differently from a redeemed card.

If another organization or individual offers to reimburse you after hearing about the incident, confirm who made that offer through the school.

Protect your financial information while the club sorts it out.

Record which messages the club confirmed came from its own officers. That small detail helps staff distinguish a genuine follow-up from a second approach from the impostor.

Where a school has an IT security report option, send the original message as directed. A report inside the mail app can carry more useful technical context than a photograph.

If a member is worried about reporting a mistake, point them to a private reporting route.

The warning to the rest of the club can explain the process without identifying them.

Make clear that photographs of redemption numbers should never be used as proof of an expense. A properly redacted receipt can establish which item was bought.

What to Do if You Have Fallen Victim to This Scam

Stop before buying the next card. Contact the real adviser and the gift card issuer, especially if anybody has the redemption code.

1. Stop the conversation. Buy no more cards and share no photos or codes. Save the original messages before blocking the sender.

2. Call the gift card issuer. Explain when you shared the code, give it the receipt, and ask whether redemption can be stopped or reviewed.

3. Tell the real adviser. Use the school directory or an established contact. Ask the club to alert other members through its normal channels.

4. Send evidence to campus security or IT. Keep both the original email and the texts. Report any password, login, or personal information shared separately.

5. Contact your payment provider. Explain whether you made the store purchase yourself and whether the card code was disclosed. Keep the outcome for your records.

6. Report the scam. US students can use ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Keep the report number with the receipt and issuer case.

The FTC’s gift card guidance explains why you should keep the card and purchase receipt when you report. Contact the issuer even if you think the value is gone.

If you used a school or club card to buy it, notify the person responsible for that account. Give them the exact amount and purchase time.

A new person may offer to reimburse you privately after the club’s warning. Ask through the school’s real finance process before trusting that request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a real adviser ask for gift cards for a raffle?

A club can buy legitimate prizes. Confirm the request with the adviser or treasurer through a route you already use. Ask what the approved purchase process is.

Treat a demand for the redemption code as a reason to pause. An event organizer can confirm a purchase without using your private text thread.

Does sharing an Xbox gift card code transfer the value?

It can allow someone who has the code to redeem the card. Call the issuer promptly. Keep the card and the receipt even if you no longer control the balance.

Give the issuer the purchase and disclosure times. Those facts can help it identify the specific item.

What if the text sender has my number but I never paid?

Save the messages and stop replying. Tell the adviser and report the sender to the school or messaging provider as appropriate.

If a new contact mentions your club or a real event later, check that request independently. Sharing a phone number does not authorize them to act on your behalf.

Should I send a screenshot to the rest of the club?

Tell the real adviser or club leadership first. Share a redacted copy if it helps people recognize the approach. Leave out card numbers, personal details, and unrelated messages.

Give the complete record only to the appropriate official channel when it asks. The warning can explain what happened without exposing anyone else’s information.

Can my bank refund a gift card I bought myself?

Ask about the specific purchase. Explain that you bought the card and somebody convinced you to share its code. A card purchase and code redemption are different issues.

The issuer may need to review the gift card itself. Save each provider’s response and make no assumption about a refund.

Does this prove the adviser’s account was hacked?

A message using an adviser’s name can be an impersonation without any access to the adviser’s real account. Let campus IT review the actual sender and the original email.

If the adviser confirms a compromised account, use the update from the school. Follow verified club channels while it investigates.

The Bottom Line

If a college club adviser seems to ask for an Xbox code by text, check with the adviser or treasurer through a trusted channel before paying.

If you already sent a code, contact the issuer and alert the school. Save the receipt and messages while there’s still a record to check.