How the scam works:
Wal-Mart is undisputedly the biggest retail giant in the world. Doing billions of dollars in annual sales each year, Wal-Mart has tried to stay on the forefront of shopping trends.
Their newest option for fuss-free shopping is the “scan and go” shopping option. By using this option, you may shop online or with their downloadable shopping app; the item you purchase is then placed in a storage locker at the store where you may retrieve it at your leisure.
This “scan and go” option is being test-marketed throughout the summer at a handful of Wal-Mart locations. However, even with that limited number of locations participating, scammers are finding an in to try and bilk customers out of their hard-earned cash.
Victims are receiving a receipt via invoice geneartor email for a high-dollar item that they did not purchase. They are then being asked to “verify” their credit card information in order to receive a confirmation for delivery of the item to the storage locker location. They are asking for this verification in two ways: one, a phone call with the credit card information, and two, clicking a link in the email which takes one to their website, which, if looked at closely, is www.wallmart.com, not www.walmart.com, which is the official Wal-Mart website.
How to avoid:
Any time you receive an email regarding a purchase you know you did not make, that is a red flag. Never provide personal information in any unsolicited email. Be wary of completing forms in email messages that require the input of personal information. If you do choose to click a link to a website, be sure the web address matches up with the “official” web address (which can be found by doing a Google search). Lastly, confirm the email you receive with the actual retailer; often you will find you are avoiding a scam by doing so. Stay away from this Walmart invoice generator scam!
How to report:
Make your family and friends aware of this scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
Report To The FTC Here
How to protect yourself more:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
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I got a email yesterday from walmartser_276282@mail-zg367.getresponse.com on behalf of service telling me I sent a payment of Walmart Instant Gift-Card £99.00 EUR Item-number 663255815 The Total USD is $115.36 USD I have not purchased this item
I’ve been receiving phone calls about $M’s cashier’s check in winning plus an MB car to be shipped and delivered at my door. In the meantime, I have to buy a certin card at Walmart for $H’s to present to the person who will deliver my prize, say, UPS, FEDEX or USPS. I also have to withdraw from my bank account account, some $3T, bring it Western Union for transfer to the caller’s "payee".
I told the guy that if I have that winning, he’d just deliver it to me himself, infront of police then I give hom the money after authenticating my prize check. He said, without the money he asks for, no delivery be made. I asked if he’s a member of a scammer’s ring and he began to swerar at me.
I do workshop on Seniors Beware of the Internet, and each week I become aware of more and more scam.
Last week I received three telephones from someone who wanted to help me remove a virus from my computer that I did not have. They wanted me to turn on my computer and type in something in order for them to help me–right!!
I played dump and they got so bad that they could not trick me to give out my personal information; one guy used profanity and hung up.