When you think of Walmart, you think of friendly greeters, rock-bottom prices, and maybe the only place where you can buy groceries, yoga pants, and a riding lawn mower all in one trip. But Sam Walton’s empire has another, way less fun, claim to fame: Walmart tops the list of brands used in common phishing scams, according to data from Checkpoint.
And like Wally World’s kitchen sink style selection, fake Walmart emails aren’t the only kind of scam associated with the store.
Fake Walmart Emails, a Fraudster Fave
In 2023, Checkpoint’s data found that Walmart’s name was used in a whopping 16% of phishing scams – schemes where fraudsters use email or other messages to “fish” for personal information – across the globe. Following the retailer, other brands like Microsoft, DHL, FedEx, and even Netflix had their names dragged through the dirt by scammers.
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So, how does this specific fake Walmart email scam work? The most popular version takes the form of an official-looking email from Walmart, asking the recipient to fill out an online survey (often on the topic of supply chain disruptions) in exchange for store gift cards. In reality, the survey site linked collects the user’s personal data.
While Walmart does award gift cards in exchange for legit surveys, those surveys live exclusively at surveys.walmart.com. Walmart makes it clear that customers are usually invited to participate via a link on their receipt, while “Winners are notified via phone and certified mail. Gift cards are not given away through Twitter, Facebook, or text message. If you receive a notice through one of these channels, it is likely a scam. Do not click on any links in these messages.”
7 More Walmart Scams to Watch Out For
Do fake Walmart emails mean that Walmart is an unsafe place to shop? No. Much of the association is a matter of scale – with 11,300 stores worldwide, Walmart is the single largest retailer in the world, making them a naturally attractive name for scammers to use. Likewise, their ranking on 2023’s phishing list was particularly influenced by the aforementioned phishing scam, shooting Walmart from 13th place in 2022 to first in 2023.
That said, Walmart’s size and popularity does mean its name is attached to a whole spectrum of scams. Alongside the fake Walmart email hoax, keep an eye out for these sneaky shakedowns:
Walmart Foundation Fraud
In one especially gross scam, criminals contact victims asking them to fill out an online form to receive grants or relief payments from the Walmart Foundation or Walmart.org. Walmart itself has warned customers of this scam, which is another phishing operation, collecting sensitive data from the phony form.
Stay safe: Don’t click on links in texts or emails from unknown numbers, and remember that “Walmart.org” is the only legit domain name for anything associated with the Walmart Foundation.
Ghost Orders
If you receive an order confirmation email that appears to be from Walmart, but you didn’t place an online order from Walmart, that’s likely a fake Walmart email from a scam artist. These bogus email receipts can also be used for phishing, or they may contain links that infect your computer with malware that extracts sensitive personal info from your device.
Stay safe: If you know you didn’t place a Walmart order, report that spam. Otherwise, keep an eye out for subtle signs like bad spelling or grammar, multiple email recipients, and senders with fishy (or phishy) domain names – real emails from the company will come exclusively from senders with addresses ending in “@walmart.com.”
More Gift Card Shenanigans
Fake Walmart email surveys aren’t the only place gift cards – something all sorts of scammers love to use as bait – show up. In some cases, scammers will call or text victims posing as the representative of a loved one, claiming the person they rep has been involved in an emergency, or claiming a debt that can be paid via gift card. Your only hope? Buy Walmart gift cards and proceed to give the scammer those gift card numbers. Blackmailers especially target elderly victims with this scheme.
Stay safe: Never purchase gift cards or give gift card numbers at a stranger’s request, and keep in mind that Walmart gift cards can’t be used anywhere but Walmart, as scammers often concoct stories about using the cards to pay fees to the IRS or other official agencies.
Delivery Deceptions
Special delivery – especially around the holiday season, scam artists serve up this shakedown with express shipping, and it can work in a few different ways. One version is yet another phishing hustle, in which a message claims that you’ve got an unexpected delivery coming from Walmart (or just about any other retailer), and that you need to click a sketchy link to receive it.
In another variation, swindlers send a similar upcoming package delivery notice, but will request a nominal shipping or receiving fee before delivery. They’ll use that transaction to steal your banking info and take a whole lot more than just a shipping fee.
Stay safe: Don’t click links in messages regarding packages you’re unaware of. If you have reason to believe you’re actually receiving a surprise package but are (understandably) wary, contact the shipping company in question to inquire about any packages en route to your address.
Mystery Shopper Scams
In this less common con, victims are made to believe that they’ve been hired as a secret shopper to covertly evaluate Walmart products, often in a work-from-home position. The job comes with a bogus “employment packet” and a realistic-looking high-value digital check. The packet instructs new “employees” to deposit the check to their bank account, use it to purchase items for “evaluation,” then transfer the rest back to the “employer,” minus compensation for the “job.”
If all these quotes aren’t a giveaway, the check bounces and the scammer phishes financial info from the bank transactions, sometimes straight-up draining the victim’s account.
Stay safe: This one’s easy to avoid if you know one simple fact: Walmart doesn’t employ any sort of mystery shoppers. So if you get a secret shopper job offer from Walmart, it’s fake.
“Free” Gifts (That Aren’t Free)
Like lots of these scams, shysters use all kinds of retailers for this one, but Walmart is a common name drop. Here, scammers offer any variety of “free gift,” either outright or in exchange for something like filling out a survey. The victim will be asked to pay for shipping, but the gift never arrives and they’re charged for a whole lot more than they bargained for. Stay safe: Don’t open emails claiming to offer free gifts, and certainly don’t click on links in those emails. And again, keep an eye out for email addresses and domain names that don’t align with official Walmart branding.
The Wire Transfer Trick
Similar to gift card ripoffs, this scam uses a variety of tactics, from romantic advances to family emergencies to threats from the (fake) IRS, to convince people to head to Walmart or a similar location and make an immediate wire transfer to whatever organization the scammer is posing as.
Stay safe: Never transfer money to any person or organization if you can’t verify with 100% confidence that they are who they say they are. Remember that government agencies like the IRS, Social Security Administration and others never request money via wire transfer.
What to Do When Scams Strike
So let’s say that maybe you didn’t read this article in time, or maybe you’re just trying to help out your scam-prone aunt who thinks everything she reads in a Facebook meme is real. First things first, if you’ve already paid, the FTC recommends immediately contacting your bank to put a stop on the transaction, or to reverse transactions that have cleared. In most cases, as long as you let your bank know that the charge is fraudulent, they’ll work with you on reversing it.
In cases of serious identity theft, you may need to work with your bank on changing your financial info altogether to avoid further damage. For gift card purchases and scam-driven wire transfers, contact the retailer or transfer company to explain that the transactions were the result of a scam, providing as much detail as you can, and request a refund. Walmart itself offers some good advice, too. If you’ve been targeted by a scam, report it to the FTC to help others avoid it in the future.
And our advice? Get protected with Spokeo’s extremely affordable identity theft protection and dark web monitoring to stay safe before scams happen in the first place.
Dan has been a freelance writer, small business owner and media consultant for over a decade. Along the way, he’s been lucky enough to collaborate with partners such as Sony, USA Today, Xbox, The Seattle Times, Netflix, Disney and many more. Dan currently lives in Dallas, TX.