Stearns Bank has identified requests for gift cards among the payment methods used in romance scams, warning that an online relationship can be used to build trust before seeking money. The bank published its guidance on November 18, 2024 as part of International Fraud Awareness Week.

The alert describes offenders creating false profiles and developing a relationship over weeks, months or longer. They may offer repeated expressions of affection while avoiding an in-person meeting, citing distance, illness or other difficulties.

Once trust has developed, the bank says requests for money can be framed as help with travel, business costs or a family emergency. The requests may become more frequent after an initial payment. Gift cards are listed alongside bank wires, money-transfer apps and cryptocurrency as methods offenders may ask

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