Does possession of a gift-card code prove purchase?¶

No. It proves access to the code at a particular point, unless independent evidence connects that person to purchase, transfer or redemption.

Codes are easy to transfer and duplicate¶

A code can be emailed, messaged, photographed, written down, sold, shared or intercepted. A purchaser may give it away and never hold the physical card; several endpoints may contain copies after one forwarding event.

Finding a spent code can still be useful because provider history may show when and where its value was used.

Place possession in the lifecycle¶

Record where the code appeared, its surrounding message or account, endpoint and time. Preserve receipts and purchase records without unnecessarily testing unused value. Compare issuer history with funding, retailer CCTV, communications, orders and endpoint evidence.

Where multiple copies exist, establish their sequence where possible. Report access, purchase, ownership and redemption separately and use the narrowest conclusion the records support.