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Home Fraud Aler*s

Fraud Aler*s

The following fraud and scams are not from

Walmar*. We are listing them here in an effor*
to educate you about these activities. If you
feel that you have been defrauded, you may
want to contact the Federal Trade
Commission or the Consumer Fraud Division
of your state's Attorney General's office.

Gift Card Fraud

Prevention
Tips to Help Avoid Gift Card
Fraud

Walmar* Gift Cards can only be used at

Walmar* stores or Sam’s Clubs in the
U.S. or Puer*o Rico, or on-line at Vudu,
Inc., Walmar*.com or Samsclub.com. No
legitimate government entity, including
the IRS, Treasury Depar*ment, FBI or
local police depar*ment, will accept any
form of gift cards as payment.
Other businesses do not accept
payments in the form of Walmar* Gift
Cards. For example, you will never be
asked to pay your utility bills, bail
money, debt collection and hospital bills
with Walmar* Gift Cards.
Do not purchase, sell, or check your
balance on online marketplaces outside
of Walmar*.com.
If you get a call from a stranger who
says that a loved one is in trouble and
they ask you to provide gift card
numbers to help them, hang up and
contact your loved one directly.
Don’t always trust your caller ID.
Scammers can manipulate a caller ID to
look like a legitimate company or
government agency.
Don’t purchase a gift card if it appears
that the packaging has been altered or
manipulated. If you have questions
about a gift card, ask someone who
works at that store.
Don’t click on or respond to online ads
or websites offering free gift cards.
These are often scams.
If you think you’ve been the victim of a
gift card scam, repor* it to the Federal
Trade Commission.
If you think you’ve been the victim of a
gift card scam involving Walmar* Gift
Cards, repor* it to (888) 537-5503.

Common Gift Card Scams

The Grandparent Scam

In this scam, the scammer will call a victim
and indicate that a loved one is in some sor*
of trouble (i.e. kidnapped, arrested, etc.).
Sometimes, the scammer pretends to be a
lawyer or the loved one themselves and asks
directly for money. The scammer then
instructs the victim to purchase gift cards
and give the gift card numbers to the
scammer over the phone.

The Tech Suppor* Scam

Perpetrators of tech suppor* scams try to
trick victims into believing their computers
are infected and they need help. Some
scammers pretend to be connected with
Microsoft, Apple or a familiar security
software company such as Nor*on or
McAfee, and claim to have detected malware
that poses an imminent threat to the person’s
computer. Other scams feature planted
website ads or pop-ups that display warning
messages, some even featuring a clock
ticking down the minutes before the victim’s
hard drive will be destroyed by a virus —
unless he or she calls a toll-free number for
assistance in deactivating the menace. Such
scammers will often ask for remote access to
your computer to run phony diagnostic tests
and pretend to discover defects in need of
fixing. They’ll pressure you to pay for
unnecessary repairs or new software, and ask
for payment via gift cards.

Additional Resources

Avoid Being the Victim of a Scam

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 10
Things You Can Do to Avoid Fraud

Repor*ing Suspicious Behavior

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Repor* IRS impersonation scams to the
Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration or call 800-366-4484.
If you think you might owe taxes, call
the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Repor* a complaint to the FTC, which
handles complaints about deceptive or
unfair business practices.
For updates on other types of potential
scams, check out the FTC’s “scam aler*”
website.

IRS
Government Impostor Scam
Scammers sometimes pretend to be
government officials to get you to send them
money. They might promise lottery winnings
if you pay “taxes” or other fees, or they might
threaten you with arrest or a lawsuit if you
don’t pay a supposed debt. Regardless of
their tactics, their goal is the same: to get
you to send them money.

IRS Scam

During tax season, scammers pretend to be

from the IRS or other Government Agencies
to scare customers into sending them money.
They trick people into believing they owe
taxes to the IRS. The scammers threaten
those who refuse to pay with arrest,
depor*ation, or loss of a business or driver’s
license. They ask the victims to go to Walmar*
to send a money transfer or to put the money
on a prepaid card or gift card.
In reality, the IRS usually first contacts people
by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes.
The IRS or any other government agency,
such as prisons or jails, won’t ask for payment
using a pre-paid debit card, gift cards, or
money transfers. The agency also won’t ask
for a credit card number over the phone.

Common Tactics Used by

Callers Committing Fraud

They use common names and fake IRS

badge numbers
They know the last four digits of the
victim’s Social Security Number
They make caller ID appear as if the IRS
is calling
They send bogus IRS emails to suppor*
their scam
They call a second time claiming to be
the police or DMV, and caller ID again
suppor*s their claim

What You Need to Know

g. If you owe federal taxes, or think you

might owe taxes, hang up and call the
IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can
help you with your payment questions
h. If you don’t owe taxes, call and repor*
the incident to the Treasury Inspector
General for Tax Administration at 800-
366-4484
i. You can also repor* a complaint with the
Federal Trade Commission

How to Protect Yourself

Be aler* for phone and email scams that use
the IRS name or other Government Agencies
The IRS will never request personal or
financial information by email, texting or any
social media. You should forward scam emails
to phishing@irs.gov. Don’t open any
attachments or click on any links in those
emails.

Additional Resources
Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration
Repor*Fraud.FTC.Gov
Repor* Phishing
Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker
Ria Money Transfer Consumer
Protection
Fraud Warning

Scams
Walmar*
Foundation/Walmar*.org
Scam
Beware, scammers may be targeting
individuals asking them to complete a form to
receive grants or pandemic relief payments
from the Walmar* Foundation or
Walmar*.org. Neither the Walmar*
Foundation nor Walmar*.org award money to
individuals and neither send text messages or
emails seeking applications for grants or
pandemic relief payments. Don’t click on links
within or respond to these text messages or
emails; these are not legitimate.

Coronavirus Scam
Beware Scammers may be targeting
customers asking them to send money in
order to reserve a Coronavirus vaccine or
government stimulus check. If you’re asked
to wire money, provide a money order or load
a prepaid/gift card to pay to reserve a
Coronavirus vaccine or to obtain a
government stimulus check, it is not
legitimate.
Visit IRS Coronavirus Related Scams

Phishing
A fraud method in which the fraudster sends
out a legitimate-looking email in an attempt
to gather personal and financial information
from recipients. The scammer sends an email
to an unsuspecting customer that may look
just like a legitimate Walmar* email (including
use of the Walmar* logo.) If the customer
falls for the bait (thus the “fishing”
reference), the thief could get credit card
numbers, PINs, account passwords, expiration
dates, credit card/bank account numbers and
even Social Security numbers. Learn more
about phishing. Learn more

Vishing
Vishing is very similar to "phishing" but
instead of occurring through email, vishing
happens over the phone. In these scams,
fraudsters pose as a trusted retailer or bank
and obtain personal information from the
customer by requesting they "verify" the
information on file. The information gained is
then used for fraudulent transactions.
A good rule of thumb: If someone is
contacting you to verify your personal
information, it is very likely you did not
provide it to them in the first place, and it is
not a legitimate request. Legitimate
companies will not expect you to provide
your social security number or other personal
information when they call you. If you receive
a call like this, do not provide any
information. If in doubt, call back a trusted
number for the company, such as the one on
a statement or invoice, the back of your
credit/debit card, or on their official website
(Do not use the phone number provided by
the person on the phone or sent through a
suspicious email.). Learn more

Smishing
A combination of the terms "SMS" and
"phishing." It is similar to phishing, but refers
to fraudulent messages sent over SMS (text
messaging) rather than email. The fraudster
may text you saying you’ve won a free gift
card. Remember, you can’t win a contest you
didn’t enter. Walmar* doesn’t notify winners
of any contest via text message. Learn more

Tips to Avoid These Scams

Never provide personal information in
response to an unsolicited request,
whether it is over the phone or internet.
A trusted company will never ask a
customer for highly sensitive
information during a call they initiated.
A financial institution may ask for the
account holder’s par*ial Social Security
Number for verification, but they will
never ask for the entire Social Security
Number, account number or PIN.
Do not respond to any suspicious
looking email, automated calls, or text
messages.
Don’t trust the Caller ID. Fraudsters can
manipulate the Caller ID to have it
display a legitimate business’ name. To
be safe, you can check to see if the
phone number matches the number that
appears on your bank statement,
credit/debit card, or on their official
website.
Avoid fraudulent sites by entering web
addresses directly into the browser
yourself or by using bookmarks you
create. Do not click on links in emails
that you did not directly request from a
company or that look suspicious.
If you have fallen victim to such a scam,
contact your financial institution
immediately to protect your accounts.

Don't respond or reply to an email, phone

call, or text message that:
Requires you to supply personal or
account information directly in the
email
Requires you to click on a link to provide
more personal or account information
Threatens to close or suspend your
account if you do not take immediate
action
Invites you to answer a survey that asks
you to enter personal or account
information
States that your account has been
compromised or that there has been
third-par*y activity on your account,
then asks you to enter or confirm your
personal or account information

Online Orders
With an international company such as
Walmar*, brand abuse is inevitable. If you
received an order confirmation email from
Walmar* but you did not place an order, it
may be a phishing scam attempting to gather
information, or in some cases, spread
malware.

Signs of Fraud
The recipient may have not placed a
Walmar*.com order
The message contains very poor
grammar.
There is no order number or details
about the order. A real order
confirmation email contains the details
of your order without clicking on any
links, as well as where it is being shipped
and the payment method.
The email listed as the sender is not
from an @walmar*.com domain. You can
see the embedded email address by
hovering your cursor over the “from”
line in the email.
There may be multiple emails listed in
the “to” line, or there may be
“undisclosed recipients"

How to Protect Yourself

If you actually placed an order and are
suspicious about the email you received,
log onto your Walmar*.com account to
check your order status. Remember not
to click on any links within the email
claiming to take you to your account.
Keep your virus software updated on all
your computers.

If you were a victim of fraud, you should file a

repor* with your local law enforcement
agency along with the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC).

Additional Resources
OnlineOnGuard: Malware
Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker
Fraud Warning

Person in Need
Scammers may pose as relatives or friends,
calling or sending messages to urge you to
wire money or load prepaid cards
immediately. They’ll say they need cash to
help with an emergency---like getting out of
jail, paying a hospital bill, or needing to leave
a foreign country. The goal is to trick you into
sending money before you realize it is a scam.

Common Tactics Used by

Callers Committing Fraud
They call or text from numbers that look
familiar
They play on your emotions
They swear you to secrecy
They need the money immediately

What You Need to Know

Caller ID can be faked
Always talk to someone to verify what
was told to you
If you believe you have responded to a
scam, file a complaint with the FTC 1-
877-FTC HELP or online at
ftc.gov/complaint

How to Protect Yourself

Be aler* for phone and email scams from
individuals that could be impersonating a
loved one. Providing gift card numbers over
the phone should not be a method of
providing funds. Once the numbers are
provided, the funds are gone. ALWAYS
validate that the loved one is in trouble.

Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping, sometimes referred to as
secret shopping, is where an individual is
hired to “act” like a customer, and evaluate
services at a business. Walmar* does NOT
utilize these services or hire associates to
perqorm services on behalf of other retailers
or companies. However, scammers take
advantage of these types of programs by
sending fraudulent solicitations via mail, text,
or email to entice consumers to evaluate the
retail experience. Often times these offers of
employment are accompanied by a fake
check made out for a large amount of money
or otherwise offer immediate employment
with a good salary and minimal effor*
required.

Signs of Fraud
These communications are often
associated with fictional depar*ments or
branding initiatives with letters or emails
coming from addresses that appear to
be “Wal-Mar*” or an address such as
“admin@walmar*.com”.
There is usually another email address
embedded in the “from” line. You can
see the embedded email address by
hovering your cursor over the “from”
line in the email.
There may be multiple emails listed in
the “to” line, or to “undisclosed
recipients”
A website may be lacking Walmar*
branding, the Walmar* Privacy Notice,
and the general look and feel of other
Walmar* websites. Other signs may
include using outdated Walmar* logos
and branding. (e.g Walmar* typed as
“Wal-Mar*” or “Wal«Mar*”)
Associates hired by Walmar* are
required to complete a hiring process,
including legally required paperwork and
drug testing.
Walmar* will NEVER mail you a check
and ask that you deposit it in order to
purchase an item or service and keep
the remainder of the amount as
payment for services.

These communications ask consumers to

assist with Walmar*'s secret shopping effor*s
through evaluation of MoneyGram services
we provide and often lead to consumer
financial loss or identity theft.

How These Scams Work

g. The scam ar*ist sends a letter or email

solicitation describing a paid, stay-at-
home position in which the consumer
will evaluate customer services at large
retail stores. In reality, these stores have
no affiliation with the scam ar*ist placing
the ad.
h. After responding to the ad, the
consumer receives an "employment
packet" containing a training
assignment, a list of products to
purchase at different stores and a
realistic-looking cashier's check, often
for several thousand dollars.
i. The "training assignment" is to deposit
the check into the consumer's bank
account, pose as a shopper and then use
Money Gram to send the balance of the
check's proceeds (minus the cost of the
purchases and the consumer's "salary")
to an address outside the United States.

The problem is that the check is fake; so

when it bounces (is returned to your account
by your bank as “insufficient funds” or a
“drawn on a closed account”) – which occurs
after the money is wired—the consumer is
accountable (in some cases, criminally) to the
bank for the entire amount of the fake check,
plus additional penalty fees. Also, in some
instances, consumers are asked for personal
bank account information. The company will
then "deposit" money into their account for
payment and funds with which to perqorm
their Secret Shopper tasks. These consumers
often then become victims of identity theft
or have their accounts drained by the
fraudster.

How to Protect Yourself

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