Fraud Alerts

Perpetrators of tech support 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 Norton 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. 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, crypto or money transfers.

Scammers may pose as relatives or friends, calling or sending messages to urge you to send 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.

An individual impersonates a charitable organization and requests a wire transfer, crypto or instructs you to load a prepaid/gift card for donations.

You meet someone online, for example, through social media or a dating app, but you have not met them in person. You’re asked to wire money, crypto or load a prepaid/gift card to pay for travel or support expenses. They may be someone pretending to be in a relationship with you in order to get money from you.

You get a call, email, or letter that says you have won a lottery, sweepstakes, inheritance or some other valuable prize. To claim your prize, you’re asked to send a wire transfer, crypto or load a prepaid/gift card to receive the funds.

Fraudsters use fake rental property listings to scam people. There’s never a good reason to send a money transfer or purchase gift cards to pay a security deposit, application fee, first month’s rent or vacation rental fee.

Scammers 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 or fine. Regardless of their tactics, their goal is the same: to get you to send them money.

They trick people into believing they owe taxes to the IRS. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation, or loss of a business or driver’s license. They ask the victims to go to Walmart to send a money transfer, crypto 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 support their scam.
• They call a second time claiming to be the police or DMV, and caller ID supports their claim.

Be careful when sending money to pay for items purchased from online auctions or websites. If you’re asked to wire money or load a prepaid/gift card to pay for items won or ordered online, it’s suspicious.

Mystery shopping, sometimes referred to as secret shopping, is where a retailer or restaurant hires an individual to “act” like a customer, and evaluate services or products at a business. Scammers take advantage of these types of programs by sending fraudulent offers to become a mystery shopper via mail, text, or email. 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 effort required. 

Common tactics used by mystery shoppers and fake check scammers:

• These communications are often associated with fictional departments or branding initiatives with letters or emails coming from addresses that appear to be “Wal-Mart” or an address such as “admin@walmart.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 Walmart branding, the Walmart Privacy Notice, and the general look and feel of other Walmart websites. Other signs may include using outdated Walmart logos and branding (e.g., Walmart typed as “Wal-Mart” or “Wal«Mart”).
• Receive a letter with a fake check for an amount greater than the amount agreed upon for your services by the fraudster. You’re asked to deposit the fake check and wire the overpayment or load and send a prepaid/gift card to the fraudster. The fake check will not clear, and therefore the money withdrawn from your account ends up being your own money.

Walmart will NEVER mail you a check and ask that you deposit it to purchase an item or service and keep the remainder of the amount as payment for services.

Employment scammers will offer non-existing job opportunities including offering immediate employment with a good salary and minimal effort required. Scammers typically target job seekers.

Common tactics used by employment scammers:

• Fake job offers will often require payment for trainings, background checks or other fees. 
• Request for personal or financial information under the guise of processing applications (such as Social Security numbers, credit card information, or bank details).
• Unprofessional communication, likely poorly written emails.
• Unsolicited job offers with too-good-to-be-true job descriptions like high-paying positions that require little experience or skills.

This is 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 Walmart email (including use of the Walmart 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.

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. They may inform you of possible fraudulent charges on your account and ask you to provide your PIN. Don’t share your PIN or any personal information as 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 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 about vishing.