Hacker News Reader

I had this exact thought. Unfortunately I can't find a way to check the balance of an Apple gift card without signing in to an Apple ID⁽¹⁾. So maybe you need a throwaway Apple ID...

⁽¹⁾ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108111

I guess a throwaway account would be essential then. That's a little weird to require an ID just to check the balance.

It's an anti-fraud measure.

Scammers will sniff card info before activation, and poll the balance check site to see when the card is activated. They will then use the card to get merchandise which they ship to another market and sell for ~50-60% of retail value.

Like solar power, money laundering is inefficient, but it's valuable when the source material is zero-cost.

I see places taking away the ability to check the balance. Is this some anti-fraud thing? eBay has removed their page too.

Would that save him, or would checking a large fraudulent card be a heuristic that sets off the banhammer system?