If you're new here, they both sound the same because they are: People asking money for stupid reasons. E.g. mis-applied payments, a "1st-world" banking system where payments take several days, lack of chip-and-PIN resulting in overdrafts and failed bill payments.
In some places, if a reporter stops by your work to ask you questions, you'll lose your job if you don't answer them, because the newspaper is the government. In the USA, it's usually the opposite.
It takes a while to sort it all out.
Have you got some examples? I don't think I ever got a call asking me for money. Or at least not one that I needed to act on immediately - a call from letting agency to check my rent payment would be the closest, but it was both verified and done outside of the call.
I have gotten fraud alert calls from my bank or card issuer. When I got those, I would thank them, hang up and dial the number on the back of my card. Usually legit, but once it was not.
A guy called claiming to be from our bank. He said there were suspicious transactions in our recent account history, and he had some information about us. He knew our names, address, phone numbers, and even the last 4 digits of our social security numbers. He asked her to confirm her debit card number, and she gave it to him.
There's something surprising about a stranger having your personal information. It makes you think they're legitimate. My wife has a pile of degrees, and they still managed to trick her.
Sure iTunes gift cards sound strange to you, but the idea of asking for a cheque is unbelievable for a lot of the modern and developing world.
But in North America, I have gotten calls regarding payments from smaller vendors. My ISP likes money, so they’ve called me when my credit card expired. As has my dentist when a claim only went through 90%.
The IRS is big and scary, but if you get a call from xyz inc saying you owe money and this is your last chance before it goes to court, that is scary, and it could be true.