U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody introduced legislation on Tuesday aimed at cracking down on gift card fraud, targeting criminal networks that use physical tampering and online schemes to steal money from consumers and older adults.
The Saving Wallets and Increasing Penalties for Elder Scams (SWIPES) Act seeks to give federal law enforcement stronger tools to prosecute gift card theft, close legal loopholes, and raise penalties for offenders who knowingly target seniors.
Gift card fraud takes several forms. In some cases, scammers steal physical cards from store racks, record the redemption details from the back, and place the cards back on display. Once a shopper purchases and loads money onto the compromised card, the thief drains the balance remotely.
Scammers also use phone impersonation schemes and fake websites designed to mirror balance-checking portals to trick cardholders into surrendering their information.
“Career fraudsters are constantly finding new ways to steal from hardworking Floridians—especially our seniors. One emerging trend we are seeing within the Fraud Economy is the proliferation of gift card fraud. We must shore up our laws as fast as these criminals change their strategies,” Moody said in a statement announcing the legislation. “That’s why I am continuing the fight against fraud with my new SWIPES Act. I’ve put crooks and fraudsters behind bars my entire career from prosecutor and judge to Florida’s Attorney General. Now, as your U.S. Senator, I am using that experience to strengthen our laws to hold criminals accountable and protect consumers.”
The legislation amends the federal access device fraud statute to explicitly include obtaining access devices with fraudulent intent, such as setting up spoofed websites to collect gift card numbers. The bill also stiffens penalties for individuals found in possession of large quantities of altered devices, clarifies that digital credentials and gift card assets fall under fraud statutes, and incorporates gift card schemes into federal money laundering laws where applicable.
To address crimes against older adults, the SWIPES Act adds an automatic two-year prison sentence for offenders convicted of knowingly defrauding individuals aged 60 or older.
Federal authorities have increasingly targeted gift card operations, with recent federal prosecutions involving financial losses ranging from $20,000 to $11 million. In Florida, recent enforcement actions include a September 2025 guilty plea involving a multi-county grocery store gift card ring in South Florida, as well as a December 2024 plea by an individual caught with more than 6,100 unauthorized cards valued at $1.9 million.
Moody previously served as Florida’s Attorney General, where she established the Senior Protection Team, expanded state consumer alert systems, and created educational programs detailing common red flags associated with gift card scams and unauthorized payment requests.
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