Discovering a drained gift card is a stressful situation that requires immediate, decisive action. First, locate the physical card and your original purchase receipt, as these are your primary "proof of ownership" documents. Contact the issuing company's customer service department immediately to report the fraud; they may be able to "freeze" any remaining balance. While many retailers claim that gift cards are "like cash" and cannot be replaced, some major brands (like Amazon, Starbucks, or Target) may reissue the balance if you can prove the card was compromised before you used it, especially if it was a digital theft. If the card was purchased at a grocery store and was tampered with (a "card draining" scam), you should also file a report with the local police and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Unfortunately, once the funds are spent, recovery is difficult, so your best defense is to always buy cards from behind the counter and check for tampered packaging before loading funds.